New Zealand vs England, 1st Test Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

The day New Zealand won the Test series against India, not far away, England had just finished wrapping their head around their own series loss at the hands of Pakistan. Both nations departed the sub-continent in contrasting moods. New Zealand, beaming after a 3-0 series win in the most unprecedented of fashions. While somber England boarded the flight back home looking for answers to the questions thrown at them during this tour. What made it better for New Zealand and worse for England was that these results have come at a point where the World Test Championship (WTC) table is swaying recklessly, which clearly means that both sides will have to deal with the consequences of results longer than they might have thought.

England’s chances of watching someone else play the WTC final on their home turf are fairly high. But New Zealand can realistically hope to get a berth in the Lord’s-bound train. And so they will try to push their case more vehemently in the three-match Test series versus England at their home.

Team Overview:

England had a bit of a double headache in the build-up to the tour. Jamie Smith, their regular stumper, left the side for paternity leave. To cover for him, the uncapped Jordan Cox was brought into the mix. However, just a few days before the game Cox injured his thumb, throwing the gloves to the struggling Ollie Pope. There is another unbookish selection by England for the first game. As per the playing XI that the visitors announced a couple of days ago, the uncapped Jacob Bethell will bat at the No. 3 position, shuffling the entire batting lineup. While there have been many raised eyebrows on the decision, the Bazball-minded England think that no one could have made a better decision if they tried. The Three Lions will go in with three pacers including Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, and Brydon Carse, and one spinner, which is Shoaib Bashir, however, Hagley Oval’s conditions might make them regret this decision.

Kane Williamson is back again to the side, though, his return did not miss triggering a conundrum for New Zealand. In his absence, Will Young exceeded expectations on Indian conditions against a bowling lineup that just recently thrashed Australia into smithereens. But Cricket is a reckless sport. Besides, Young will be happy to make way for the Mr. Nice Guy in the blink of an eye. Unlike England, New Zealand will rely on a four-headed pace attack and hope for their part-time spinners to roll their arms over if and when the need arises. Nathan Smith has been selected ahead of Jacob Duffy to be the fourth pacer along with Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and William O’Rourke.

Head-to-Head Matches:

Both sides have played plenty of Test games against one another. In the 112 red-ball matches that both teams crossed swords in, New Zealand have won 13 matches, while England were the better side in 53. As many as 47 matches ended in a draw.

Weather and Pitch Report:

Do not be surprised to see grass on the deck at the Hagley Oval. It’s almost characteristic to see green tops welcome the visiting teams with all but open arms. Pacers and seamers will get a lot to exploit, at least until the grass does not deteriorate. After which the pitch will flatten out quickly and batters can hope to get the game in their hands. The toss-winning captain would want to bat second.