England and New Zealand face off in the first of five T20 Internationals on Friday at the Hagley Oval. The two sides play each other for the first time since their epic World Cup final clash which saw England edge New Zealand on boundary count. Nevertheless, both sides look towards fine-tuning their squad ahead of next year’s ICC T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia. While England has rested a number of first choice players, New Zealand has recalled the likes of Jimmy Neesham and Lockie Ferguson. Both teams are evenly matched on paper although New Zealand should bank on their knowledge of home conditions. All in all, an exciting start to the series beckons in Christchurch.
Match Details
New Zealand vs England, 1st T20
Hagley Oval. Christchurch
November 1st, 2019
6:30 AM IST
Pitch Report
The pitch generally favours the batters with some help for the bowlers as well. 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 with 170 being a competitive score at the venue.
Weather Report
The weather is all clear for this game which should make for an interesting game of cricket. With a decent cloud cover on offer, bowlers should get so help with the new ball on Friday.
Injuries: No injuries are reported
Predicted XI
New Zealand:
New Zealand doesn’t have the services of captain, Kane Williamson for this game which shifts the focus on to the likes of Tim Southee and Martin Guptill. Tim Seifert should feature in the top order with Jimmy Neesham also touted to make a comeback in the side. Their bowling unit is well rounded with two lethal spinners in Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi. The addition of Lockie Ferguson adds another dimension in what is a formidable attack and should be key against the English
Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Daryl Mitchell, Lockie Ferguson
England:
England has already confirmed T20-I debuts for Sam Curran and Pat Brown but not for Tom Banton. Dawid Malan could open the batting alongside Bairstow while Lewis Gregory could also feature in the middle order. In the bowling unit, Chris Jordan will lead the attack while Matthew Parkinson could feature at the expense of Tom Curran. The experience of Morgan will be crucial to their fortunes as a young England side looks to deal the first blow in the series.
Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Eoin Morgan, Sam Billings, Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan and Pat Brown
Top Picks:
Jonny Bairstow’s record in NZ stands out which makes him a must have in the side along with Martin Guptill and James Vince. Only one keeper in Tim Seifert is picked with Sam Billings slated to bat down the order. Two Kiwi allrounders in Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner are also preferred while Sam Curran, who scored a fluent 28 in the first practice game, is also a valuable asset. Lockie Ferguson warmed up with three wickets in the practice match and should pick a wicket or two while the likes of Adil Rashid and Ish Sodhi should ideally round the team off for this game.
Captaincy Picks:
1. Martin Guptill
2. Jonny Bairstow
3. James Vince
Fantasy Team & Point Projections
Tim Seifert, Points: 28-30, Grade: B
James Vince, Points: 68-70, Grade: A
James Neesham, Points: 60-62, Grade: A
Sam Curran, Points: 55-57, Grade: A
Mitchell Santner, Points: 25-27, Grade: B
Martin Guptill, Points: 75-77, Grade: A
Adil Rashid, Points: 39-41, Grade: B
Jonny Bairstow, Points: 80-82, Grade: A
Ish Sodhi, Points: 48-50, Grade: A
Pat Brown, Points: 60-64, Grade: A
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.
