Coach Andy Flower has refuted suggestions that England took New Zealand lightly during the recent Test series between the two nations.

England, who are six places above the Kiwis in the ICC Test rankings, had been tipped to record a 3-0 victory from their tour. However, the series ended 0-0, with the visitors having required some stubborn batting during the last Test to secure the draw.

However, despite claims to the contrary, Flower has insisted that there was "no complacency" among the England players.

"There was no complacency in our camp at all. None whatsoever. Your reference to the media talking about the fact we should win easily, or comfortably, is probably where you draw that information from," he told Sky Sports News. "It's certainly not within our dressing room. We knew when we came here we had a real fight on our hands, and we prepared for that. We respect the New Zealand cricket team.

"We have not played great cricket out here in New Zealand. But I would say New Zealand have played well. Their bowlers swung the ball continually, and it should make for an interesting series at the start of the summer.

"You can't dominate all the time, and I was very proud of the way our guys fought. What I would like to see is the same sort of determination, same sort of skill, shown at the start of games - then we can get into winning positions more often."

The two countries will meet again in May back in England.