ABOUT THE MATCH
England will look to back up their opening-game win as the two 50-over World Cup finalists continue their T20i series with the second match of the series. The game, at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium, takes place on November 3.
England won the opening game of the series by seven wickets, with James Vince leading the way. He hit 59 from 38 balls as England chased 154 to win with nine balls to spare. Pat Brown, Sam Curran, and Lewis Gregory all made their T20i debuts.
New Zealand has also rested a couple of players, and paid for not kicking the run rate up enough Tom Curran even bowled a maiden over early on. Ross Taylor top-scored, but Colin Munro showed form in the warm-up game to suggest New Zealand are fully capable of bouncing straight back.
TOSS PREDICTION
England won the toss and elected to field first in the opening game and New Zealand could take a similar decision if they were to win the toss this time.
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.
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
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
MATCH PREVIEW
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.
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 WINNING TEAM:
England won the opening game but there is less between these two teams than the results suggest and New Zealand can come roaring back in this series.
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