England pace bowler Jofra Archer is embracing new challenges before the first test match between New Zealand and England at Bay Oval on Thursday.
In his Daily Mail column, Archer spoke about the differences in bowling in New Zealand, as well as bowling with the Kookaburra ball for the first time.
The column came after the drawn three-day warm-up match against an New Zealand XI in Whangarei.
"The pitch at Cobham Oval was probably the flattest I've played on in my life and it's fair to say the Kookaburra ball is a bit of a challenge as well," Archer wrote in his column.
"We came close to winning the game, but all in all, I would say the three-day match was a bit of a wake-up call," he added.
"I'd never bowled with the red Kookaburra before, but I knew it was going to be tough and so it proved.
"People say it has a smaller seam than the Dukes ball we use in England, but I'm not sure it has a seam at all! It isn't pronounced on any part of the ball.
"It doesn't hold its shine either and gets very old, very fast."
The 24-year-old was pleased to get both openers out in the second innings, but he said he had to go through his whole repertoire to pick up wickets.
Archer also touched on the fact that he didn't want to bowl to Steve Smith anytime soon, after what happened last summer. Smith averaged 110 against England in the Ashes and Archer wasn't able to dismiss the former captain at all.
He admitted that Kane Williamson was similar in the fact "he doesn't give you much at all".
In his column, the pace bowler also admitted his bowling in Whangarei wasn't his fastest, although NZ opening batsman Glenn Phillips called it "the quickest I've faced in my life".
"I saw people were making a bit of a thing about my spell to Glenn Phillips on the first day, when he said it was the fastest he has ever faced," Archer said.
"I know I sent down some fast balls, but in terms of the overall spell, I don't think it was my fastest.
"I hit him on the hand and the chest, and hit Hamish Rutherford on the head. Rutherford had to pull out of the game, because of concussion.
"Do I get extra pleasure out of hitting batsmen? Not at all, it's just tactics.
"You only want to keep batsmen honest."
The first test between the Blackcaps and England gets underway from Bay Oval on Thursday.
