New Zealand's team coach Denis Aberhart has said that his country needs to increase the depth of its cricketing skills. "What New Zealand cricket needs is to keep trying to increase the depth for better results in the future because we are a small country and have limited resources," Aberhart told AFP. New Zealand crashed to an innings-and-324-run defeat in the first Test against Pakistan at Lahore, the worst in their Test history.

"The defeat was really disappointing after we did well in our series against Australia last year and in the home series against England, but ours is a young side and we are in the process of increasing the depth," said 49-year-old Aberhart, a former school headmaster who took over as coach in September last year.

Aberhart could have been better off had New Zealand's tour of Pakistan, originally planned for September-October last year, not been postponed after the September 11 terror attacks on the United States. The delayed tour saw New Zealand lose allrounders Chris Cairns and Dion Nash and fast bowler Shane Bond through injury. They also lost opener Nathan Astle after the first one-day match of the Pakistan tour, when he injured a ligament in his knee and had to return home.

"Injury to key players was a blow, but we were outplayed in the one-day series and in the Lahore Test by a better side," Aberhart admitted. He said he would try his best to regroup his side for the final Test at Karachi, which starts on May 8. "I think this side is capable of doing better and I hope they will pick up the pieces and regroup to end the tour on a high note.

"The pressure of Pakistan's massive score was there, but getting out for 73 was very, very disappointing and that never gave us any chance to come back in the match," he said. "Pakistan have the firepower in the bowling department - Shoaib Akhtar has been bowling very well and he demolished us in the first innings."

Aberhart said that if the Pakistan tour gives him two or three new players, it would be satisfying. "What we now look for is to find two to three new players on this tour and when the injured players come back they help us in combining a good team for the West Indies tour."

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd