Match Details
- Venue: Seddon Park, Hamilton
- Date: 29th November – 3rd December 2019
- Time: 3:30 AM IST
- League: England Tour of New Zealand
New Zealand Preview
New Zealand made a good comeback in the 1st Test match after they found themselves 197-5 in the 1st innings. While Kane Williamson (51) was top scorer among the top 5 batsmen in the Kiwi batting line-up, BJ Watling was top batsman scoring 205 at number 6. His partnerships with Colin de Grandhomme (65) and Mitchell Santner (126) changed the course of the game. While earlier, Blackcaps restricted England to 353-10 in the 1st innings where Tim Southee andN Wagner picked 4 and 3 wickets respectively.
With the special innings from their lower order batsmen, Blackcaps put 615-9 on the board. A 262-runs lead turned out to be quite a lot. Neil Wagner continued his form in the second innings and picked 5 for 44 while Santner finished with 3 for 53. Blackcaps bowled out England for 197 runs and secure an inning win in the 1st Test match. The bowling consistency from Wagner and the batting efforts from lower-order batsmen are the positives for New Zealand. Whereas, the opening duo would be a concern going into the second match.
England Preview
England will be keen on making a comeback from their dismal performance leading to a huge defeat in the 1st Test match. Dominic Sibley made his debut but not his mark as he was out for 22 and 12 runs. Rory Burns (52), on the other hand, scored a fifty in the 1st innings along with Joe Denly (74) at number 3. Ben Stokes (91), at number 5, made the highest contribution to the England 1st innings total. However, when it came to bowling, the lead England bowlers failed to capitalise on the early breakthroughs.
Jofra Archer picked 1 for 107 while Stuart Broad was wicketless in his 33 overs. Sam Curran was the top bowler with 3 wickets while Jack Leach and Ben Stokes picked 2 wickets each for the visitors. Given the fact England trailed by 262 runs on the 4th day of the match, a draw was one of the likely outcomes. England, however, lost 3 wickets at the end of Day 4 and the middle-order collapsed on Day 5 as the visitors lost by an innings and 65 runs. Joe Root needs to find his form and lead the team from the front. While Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad need to lead with wickets if England are to get through the Kiwi batting line-up.
Match Prediction
New Zealand to win the match
New Zealand has players with a great fighting spirit who always rise to the occasion when the team needs them. Even if the top-order fails, the hosts have a strong middle and lower order to defend or attack depending on the situation. The bowling is in great form with Wagner, and Southee finding success.
Fantasy Team Tips
- The in-form wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling will be a favorite among fantasy team players. In addition, Jos Buttler would also be crucial in England batting line-up to score runs lower down the order.
- Though Buttler was out for a duck in 2nd innings, he looked in good touch in first. The experienced Williamson and Taylor will always be the significant pair in the New Zealand middle-order.
- Rory Burns and Joe Denly looked in good touch in both innings in the 1st Test and are likely to continue their form at the top for England.
- Ben Stokes has had a great year and showed his batting class on this tour in the last match. Along with Mitchell Santner Stokes would be a great addition to the fantasy team.
- Neil Wagner has perfected the craft of using short-pitched deliveries and picking up wickets on the last day of the match. He has become indispensable to the Blackcaps bowling attack.
Fantasy Team Prediction
- Wicket-Keeper – Jos Buttler, BJ Watling
- Batsmen – Rory Burns, Joe Denly, K Williamson R Taylor
- All-rounders – B Stokes, M Santner
- Bowlers – J Archer, T Southee, N Wagner
- Captain – K Williamson
- Vice-Captain – B Stokes