PITCH AND CONDITIONS
Nothing but clear skies and sun is forecast in Wellington on Sunday, with temperatures touching 20 degrees Celsius. As ever at the Westpac, however, wind could become a factor.
Wellington’s drop-in pitch has had its problems, and if previous wickets are an example then this one could be two-paced with a variable bounce.
NEW ZEALAND
- With Kane Williamson out with a hip injury and Trent Boult rested for the first three T20i matches, Tim Southee leads the Black Caps and Lockie Ferguson will open the bowling with him again.
- Jimmy Neesham and Blair Tickner were the two unused players, but Daryl Mitchell batted well enough to retain his place and it could be an unchanged team despite the opening defeat.
- New Zealand won their previous T20i series against Sri Lanka, having beaten India at the start of the year too, but defeat in the first game of this series means they have now lost their last two T20i matches.
- Ross Taylor top-scored with 44 and Daryl Mitchell’s late hitting lifted New Zealand to 153/5, but they paid for their slow scoring in the middle overs as they fell to a seven-wicket defeat.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF NEW ZEALAND
Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Tim Siefert (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Ross Taylor, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee (c), Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
ENGLAND
- England has toured with an inexperienced squad and handed T20i debuts to Sam Curran, Pat Brown and Lewis Gregory in the first game.
- Gregory was unused with bat and ball, however. Tom Banton, Saqib Mahmood, and Matthew Parkinson are the other uncapped players in the squad, but England may integrate them later in the tour.
- Parkinson will be on standby if Adil Rashid’s injury troubles re-occur, however. England only played one T20i in the summer, with the focus on first the World Cup and the Ashes instead.
- They won it, however, Eoin Morgan hit an unbeaten 57 from 29 balls in a seven-wicket defeat of Pakistan.
- Victory in the opening game of this series, with James Vince’s half-century leading the way, means England have now won six T20i matches in a row. They last lost in 2018, when India claimed a 2-1 series win on English soil.
PROBABLE PLAYING XI OF ENGLAND
Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, James Vince, Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings (wk), Sam Curran, Lewis Gregory, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Pat Brown
OUR FANTASY LEAGUE PICKS FOR NEW ZEALAND VS ENGLAND 2nd T20 IN ENGLAND TOUR OF NEW ZEALAND, 2019 ARE MENTIONED BELOW:
- Martin Guptill
- Mitchell Santner (C)
- Tim Seifert
- Tim Southee
- Colin Munro
- Sam Curran
- Adil Rashid
- Jonny Bairstow
- Chris Jordan
- Eoin Morgan (VC)
- James Vince
Click Here for Match Prediction.
*Disclaimer: A team here is picked based on the perception, analysis, and gut feeling of the author. When you select your team, analyze the points mentioned to arrive at your own decision.*
