For the first time since their epic World Cup win, England feature in white-ball format albeit a practice match against New Zealand XI at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. With a number of new faces in the squad, England looks to find the best fits in what is already a formidable T20 outfit. Without the services of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, an opportunity arises for the likes of Patrick Brown and Tom Banton, who are touted as the future of England cricket. Although their opponents are nowhere near the senior side in terms of quality, New Zealand XI also possess a few talented individuals in Lockie Ferguson, Colin Munro and Tim Siefert. With this being the first of two practice games, one can expect England to start slowly although both teams will look for a win on Sunday.
Match Details
New Zealand XI vs England, 1st Practice Match
Burt Sutcliffe Oval. Lincoln
October 27th, 2019
6:30 AM IST
Pitch Report
The pitch generally favours the batters with scores of 170 being expected in this game. The overcast conditions at the venue would ideally help the bowlers with some turn on offer for the spinners as well. Chasing will be the preferred option upon winning the toss for either side.
Weather Report
The weather is all clear for this game which should make for an interesting game of cricket. There isn’t any chance of rain with temperatures hovering around 22 degrees Celsius. Overcast conditions should provide extra swing for the pacers with the new ball.
Injuries: No injuries are reported
Predicted XI
NZ XI:
With only a twelve-man squad named for the two games, Clarke could be the one to miss out with the likes of Munro and Siefert expected to open the batting. They have a lot of experience in the middle order with Anton Devcich and Anaru Kitchen featuring for the national side as well. Their bowling unit revolves around tearaway pacer Lockie Ferguson, who returns from injury. Anurag Verma and Zak Gibson are also ones to watch out for alongside Ferguson on Sunday.
Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Anton Devcich, Anaru Kitchen, Josh Clarkson, Brett Hampton, Blake Coburn, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Gibson, Christian Leopard, Anurag Verma
England:
England has a number of openers in their side but should field young Tom Banton alongside Jonny Bairstow, who has a brilliant record in New Zealand. While Eoin Morgan is another batsman who is certain to spend some time in the middle, Sam Billings and James Vince could also feature with Joe Denly playing as the spin-bowling all-rounder. Their bowling unit is filled with talent and youth. While Curran brothers will open the attack for them, the likes of Parkinson and Jordan could also have a say in the match.
Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, James Vince, Eoin Morgan, Sam Billings, Joe Denly, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Matthew Parkinson, Pat Brown
Top Picks:
Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan have prior experience playing in New Zealand with Bairstow scoring a quick-fire hundred in his last ODI in the country. Both of them are ideally picked alongside Colin Munro, whose record in the shortest format is impressive. The likes of Sam Billings, Tim Seifert and Anaru Kitchen also find a place in the fantasy side while the English duo of Tom Curran and Pat Brown are picked for their death bowling skills. Lockie Ferguson was one of the standout bowlers in the ICC World Cup 2019 but hasn’t played since then. In spite of the aforementioned, Ferguson should pick a wicket or two on Sunday.
Captaincy Picks:
1. Colin Munro
2. Eoin Morgan
3. Jonny Bairstow
Fantasy Team & Point Projections
T Seifert, Points: 28-30, Grade: B
J Bairstow, Points: 68-70, Grade: A
A Kitchen, Points: 60-62, Grade: A
S Billings, Points: 55-57, Grade: A
P Brown, Points: 25-27, Grade: B
C Munro, Points: 75-77, Grade: A
J Denly, Points: 39-41, Grade: B
E Morgan, Points: 80-82, Grade: A
P Brown, Points: 48-50, Grade: A
T Curran, Points: 30-32, Grade: B
L Ferguson, Points: 40-42, Grade: A
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are that of the author and not an actual reflection of the number of points that the player will earn.
