Statistics provided by website cricket.com highlight just how far the Black Caps' fielding, previously a strength, has fallen this year.
New Zealand dropped eight catches in the first innings of England's eight-wicket victory in the first Test in Christchurch and have dropped a total of 35 of their 139 chances in Tests this year — a success rate of 74.8%. Only Bangladesh, with a success rate of 73.7%, have a worse success rate.
Daryl Mitchell, who scored 84 in New Zealand's second innings, said he hadn't seen the statistic so "I can't really comment, but … fielding is something we pride ourselves on and we'll keep trying to make sure we throw ourselves around and do everything to try to take those catches and hopefully they stick this Test.
"We're obviously disappointed in last week. We won't go about doing more catching because of the result but we'll make sure we prepare the way we usually do … we'll tick those boxes in the next few days and be ready to go."
Speaking in Wellington ahead of the second Test at the Basin Reserve which starts on Friday, bowling coach Jacob Oram said: "We are normally a very good fielding side and a couple of the guys who did drop those catches, in [Tom] Latham and [Glenn] Phillips, have great hands.
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"But I was in Sri Lanka and Galle when we dropped a number of catches in that second Test as well and they hurt.
"We dropped Kamindu Mendis and he went on to get 100 in both Tests ... In the second Test they got 600 after we shelled six or seven.
"But historically we are a good fielding side and I think most people would agree with that … the stats in the last six, 18 months, probably not great."
Oram said they were not suddenly bad catchers.
"It's about those guys just making sure that, you know, they do the work beforehand.
"There's no complacency which I'm sure will be the case and we're ready to go for when those nicks come here at the Basin."
A 2016 study by thecricketmonthly.com ranked New Zealand the No.1 catching team in Test cricket from 2010-15.
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