A new era beckons England as they gear up to face New Zealand in the first Test, which starts on June 2 (Thursday) at the Lord’s Cricket Stadium. Both teams will look to take an upper hand early on in the series.
English cricket has gone through a lot of changes in the recent past and it only worsened after West Indies handed them another defeat. So much has changed since then – with Joe Root stepping down as skipper, and Ben Stokes replacing him at the helm.
With Stokes and McCullum taking charge, there is enough cause for excitement given the brand of cricket these two have played over the years. But that isn’t the only narrative going into this series. There is just plenty to look forward to as England have also recalled the veteran duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
New Zealand, on the other hand, are back in England. One year ago to the day, New Zealand arrived at Lord’s for the first of three seismic Tests: the first two – a draw in London followed by a convincing win in Edgbaston. The third was their crowning moment, beating India at the Ageas Bowl to become the inaugural World Test Champions.
However, the Kiwis will miss a couple of senior cricketers. Ross Taylor and BJ Watling have retired, Trent Boult is unlikely to play this Test considering the fact that he played in the IPL final on Sunday and Henry Nicholls is ruled out as well. However, they will hope to put out a robust performance and stun the hosts.
Match Details
1st Test – England (ENG) vs New Zealand (NZ)
Venue: Lord’s, London
Date & Time: 2nd June at 3:30 PM IST and 11:00 AM Local Time
Pitch Report
The surface at Lord’s could be batting friendly, however, the overcast conditions could assist the fast bowlers.
Predicted Playing XI
England (ENG): Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes (WK), Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, James Anderson, Stuart Broad
New Zealand (NZ): Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (C), Will Young, Henry Nicholls/Michael Bracewell, Tom Blundell (WK), Colin de Grandhomme/Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Matt Henry/Trent Boult, Neil Wagner
ENG vs NZ – Fantasy Team Predictions
Fantasy Team 1: Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson (VC), Tom Latham, Joe Root, Devon Conway, Ben Stokes (C), Colin de Gradhomme, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Southee, Jack Leach
Fantasy Team 2: Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Tom Blundell, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Joe Root (C), Devon Conway (VC), Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson
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