In-form England will be dealing with the bulging confidence of the New Zealand unit when the two sides meet on Tuesday at the Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. The matches promise to be terrific. There are two simple factors behind this assumption.
The first being the form of both the teams, which is quite top notch at the moment. England successfully chased a 300+ total against Bangladesh to open their campaign with a bang. New Zealand, on the other side, were unlucky to not earn a win but the magnitude of the performances against a stronger Australian side was very high. They had the game in their grasp and many agreed it was unfair that the rains forced the match to be abandoned.
The second factor is the contest between England’s batting and New Zealand’s bowling. England possesses, arguably, the most attacking batting line-up with them. It took just three men – Joe Root, Alex Hales and Eoin Morgan – to knock off the 306 runs target set by Bangladesh the other day.
New Zealand, on the other hand, has a bowling which is fairly capable of causing huge trouble to the opposition. An example being the game against Australia where they had their rivals at 53/3 during the defence of 292 runs.
These two teams will test each other’s strengths and weaknesses. England will undergo the first big test of the tournament while New Zealand will likely face a reality check that would give them a fairer picture of where they stand in the competition, quality wise.
Overview:
Both the teams had a wonderful start to the tournament. They would be very pleased with it. For New Zealand, who walked in as the second rate side in the contest against Australia, they would love to keep the momentum going. The morale must be high after the impressive show at Edgbaston. Many, including Steve Smith, the Australian skipper, felt the Kiwis had the game in their pockets.
England would be wary of New Zealand. They know the opposition may spring surprises and slightest of mistakes could cost them badly. Therefore, Eoin Morgan and his men must ensure they up the ante tomorrow to stay a step ahead.
Tracking the strengths:
New Zealand will bank on its overall departments. It would be very difficult to single out one aspect as their strengths. But, speaking generally, their bowling remains the foremost strengths. Boult and Southee will again find themselves in the spotlight. Adam Milne also was in fine rhythm. Mitchell Santner got a game but did not get a chance to bowl, he may be handy in the middle overs along with the seam bowling all-rounders. These four frontline bowlers will challenge the opposition greatly.
England will hope their batting continues to be formidable. They will be up against an improved and a better bowling attack. But the likes of Root, Hales, Stokes and Buttler are no ordinary men. It required only three of them to get going for England to successfully chase down 306. Therefore, quite naturally, the English batsmen will lead the assault in the game and try to supressess the Kiwis.
Match Prediction:
After witnessing the opening game against Australia, New Zealand certainly looks more balanced. The Blackcaps are yet again living up to their reputation of being the ‘Dark Horses.’ They have the firepower in both the departments unlike England which has a very strong batting line-up but wicket taking abilities seems less comparatively.
To conclude, New Zealand will likely start as the favourites. This might seem like a contrarian viewpoint but let’s focus on the pros and cons and bet against the popular opinion which forecasts an England victory.