New Zealand vs England, 3rd Test Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

Winning the second Test game, England became only the second team to disrupt the Kiwis’ immaculate home record since 2017. The first team was, of course, Australia earlier this year when they defeated New Zealand 2-0. This, if anything, is evidence of the shift in New Zealand cricket. And in the last Test game of the series, this shift will become a little too real when Tim Southee, one of the people who made the Kiwis an impregnable side, walks out to play a Test game for the last time.

Realistically and mathematically, New Zealand are out of contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and they have also lost this series. All they can now aim for is a consolatory win that would serve as a deserving farewell for Southee. But even grabbing that from England would be a hard task. England are also not in the running for the final but they have endured far too many defeats by their standards this cycle and they would not want to cap it with another defeat. Hence, it might sound like a dead rubber but both teams would want a huge chunk of it nonetheless.

Team Overview:

But that should not distract us from the fact that the New Zealand side who lost the series to England at home, had made India bite the dust in India just last month. As to how they shape-shifted into a naive, incoherent side after the triumph in India needs an investigation of its own. For the heads up, one should start by questioning the absence of Will Young, who mercilessly bashed the Indian bowlers at their home. Yeah, alright, he had to leave his spot to let Kane Williamson in and it was not a bad decision either as was proved by Williamson’s bat. But could he not be squeezed in place of any of the other struggling top-order batters? Devon Conway, perhaps?

Though it is too late to reverse the damage now, but the Kiwis have made the exact call for the third Test match. Young has been drafted in at the place of Conway who leaves the side on paternity leave. The rest of the side will remain the same, if not a teensy shuffle of spinners.

England will field Matthew Potts in place of Chris Woakes. This is the first time since 2022 that Woakes has played two back-to-back away Test games. Shoaib Bashir’s lone spin will once again be on the show in the third game with Bydon Carse and Gus Atkinson wrapping up the bowling attack. Jacob Bethell’s 96-run knock took away most of the criticism on his way of breaking into the side but no one is certain for how long will that continue. Joe Root is just a little more than a century away from completing his 13000 Test runs.

Head-to-Head Matches:

Both sides have played plenty of Test games against one another. In the 114 red-ball matches that both teams crossed swords in, New Zealand have won 13 matches, while England, far ahead, have won 54. 47 matches ended in a draw.

Weather and Pitch Report:

There has been plenty of rain at the Seddon Park and the pitch has largely been under the covers. However, the day before the match saw sunlight dry the pitch hard and there should be enough for the batter to resist the new ball, which will be difficult to face. There is a forecast for the sun to come out over the weekend too, which will only catalyze the flattening out. Another plot twist would be on the third day which could see rain making a comeback once again. All in all, it will be a seamer’s wicket at the start and batters will need to respect that. The toss-winning captain would look to bowl first.