New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori was delighted with the resolve shown by his team as the tourists earned a draw in the opening Test against England.
Jacob Oram's 106 denied England's hopes of a final day win and Vettori said: "He's the first pick in our team, when he bats like that he's as good as any.
"Whenever we don't have him in the side through injury we have to decide whether to pick a batter or a bowler.
"We've got a team that believes. We're young but we've still got a good side."
Oram said his century - his fifth in 28 Tests - was the "proudest moment" of his career.
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The all-rounder came to the crease with his side in trouble on 120-4 - a lead of just 78 - and without Brendon McCullum, who was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the forearm by a Stuart Broad delivery.
"It's the proudest moment of my career so far, it's surpassed anything I've ever done before," said the 29-year-old Oram.
"I rode my luck a bit and I don't care how it looked because at the end of the day it's a hundred and it's on the honours board now.
"I've been pretty lean for runs lately. That's why they call it Test cricket. It's a good challenge and I'm just so proud to come out the other side in a positive way."
"We didn't really want him to bat but he wanted to get back out there as soon as he could"McCullum, who made a crucial 97 in the first innings to revive his team, later returned to the field after having a scan.
"We were very concerned because he is a pretty integral part of our team," Vettori admitted.
"He is also a pretty tough guy as well, so for him to come off the field he must have been in discomfort.
"You saw how brave he is when X-rays proved clear; we didn't really want him to bat but he wanted to get back out there as soon as he could."
Looking ahead to the second Test at Old Trafford beginning on Friday, Vettori added: "The wicket is rumoured to be a bit quicker there so we're going to wait and see what it's like.
"We haven't played on one of those for a while but we're excited by it."
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