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Earlier, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum won the toss and elected to field against England in the second Twenty20 international at a gloomy Oval on Thursday.
Only two balls were bowled, with Mitchell McClenaghan managing to dismiss England opener, Michael Lumb with the second of his two deliveries before the heavens opened up and hardly threatened to cease as covers were continually drawn onto and off the square at the Oval.
England made two changes from the side that lost the first of this two-match series by five runs at the same ground on Tuesday.
Star batsman Kevin Pietersen returned to England duty following a knee injury that forced his early exit from the tour of New Zealand in March.
Former captain Pietersen was sidelined from all cricket until making a superb unbeaten 177 for Surrey in a County Championship match last weekend.
South Africa-born Pietersen, 33 on Thursday, replaced stand-in captain Eoin Morgan, who led England on Tuesday in the absence of the rested Stuart Broad, after the former Ireland international was ruled out with a right hand injury.
Kent off-spinner Jame Tredwell captained England for the first time with left-arm spinner Danny Briggs, a key member of English domestic Twenty20 champions Hampshire's side, replacing seamer Chris Woakes, whose one over on Tuesday cost 19 runs.
New Zealand were unchanged from Tuesday's victorious team.
Teams:
England: Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Luke Wright, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler (wkt), Ben Stokes, James Tredwell (capt), Jade Dernbach, Boyd Rankin, Danny Briggs
New Zealand: Hamish Rutherford, James Franklin, Brendon McCullum (capt), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wkt), Colin Munro, Nathan McCullum, Corey Anderson, Ian Butler, Roneel Hira, Mitchell McClenaghan
Umpires: Tim Robinson (ENG) and Richard Illingworth (ENG)
TV umpire: Michael Gough (ENG)
Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)
