Captain Michael Vaughan believes England's bowling armoury is in rude health for the sterner challenges ahead following their npower Test series victory over New Zealand.

Pace pair James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom were the main inflictors of damage in the innings win at Trent Bridge, which sealed a 2-0 success.

Man-of-the-match Anderson's nine wickets took his tally for the campaign to 19 while left-armer Sidebottom finished with 16.

That pair have certainly had the measure of a young Black Caps side but can anticipate working up a greater sweat against South Africa later this summer.

Presented with perfect conditions after England stacked up 364, Anderson sent the New Zealanders tumbling to 123 all out in the first innings and Sidebottom's devastating fourth-morning spell reaped four victims to wrap up the second.

"As soon as we were bowling it was cloudy and very damp," admitted Vaughan. "But they were still putting the ball in the right areas and showing a lot of skill.

"It is the skill element that is exciting because, if you can swing the ball conventionally, when it starts getting dry and flat you can swing it the reverse side as well.

"Later in the summer we are going to be tested to the max as a team and that will be the ultimate test of where we are.

"We have won 2-0 against a decent New Zealand team but there are still areas that we can improve and it's important that we do that."

Anderson, 25, has certainly repaid the faith shown in him on the tour of New Zealand three months ago, when he dislodged Matthew Hoggard from the side.

"He is very exciting, Jimmy, and great to have in the team because even when he is inconsistent he getwickets," said Vaughan.

"As a captain, you always want guys who can get wickets and he seems to have that knack of getting wickets out of nothing.

"Saturday night, (Brendon) McCullum and (Daniel) Flynn were batting very well and out of nowhere he gets McCullum out.

"That was a period of the game where I felt they could go on and get a decent-sized lead because of the batsmen they had to come.

"Jimmy has that knack for wickets, his record suggests he is inconsistent but when he is swinging it there are not many better around than him."

Once again it took an England escapology act to secure victory - having overturned a 179-run deficit to win in Manchester, this time they recovered from a position of 86 for five on the first day.

"I'm encouraged by the way we're getting out of them but I would like not to get into those positions," admitted Vaughan.

"A sign of a good team is getting out of them but a sign of a really good team is not getting into them in the first place. Those are the areas we can improve but we are a young side developing."

Part of the reason for the mid-match slumps is the poor form of middle-order batsmen Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood.

But Vaughan is backing both to overcome their dip in productivity during the forthcoming limited-overs matches against the Kiwis.

"I have been there a few times in my career and the only way you get out of it is get into the middle and score some runs," said Vaughan.

"It is very much an individual thing, batting, and each of those guys will know exactly what they need to do to get out of that trot.

"They are in the one-day series, which starts later in the week, and sometimes that's a good thing to just get into another form of the game and free themselves up.

"One quickfire 50 or 60 can get them back into form, so that is what they will be looking to do going into the South Africa series."

For New Zealand, the NatWest campaign will provide respite from their own lack of application against the red ball and a chance to play their favoured version of the sport.

"We are a lot more confident in that form of the game maybe because it is shorter and we don't have to perform for those prolonged periods," said captain Daniel Vettori.

"There is a group of guys there that will hurt for a long time in the dressing room because England do have the momentum - and the squads do not change that much.

"We beat them convincingly back home and we have to make sure we do that again over here to get anything out of this tour at all."

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