England Tour of New Zealand 2023: New Zealand vs England – 1st Test Preview and Updates

Cricket

Following India vs. Australia and West Indies vs. Zimbabwe, New Zealand will host England for a two-match test series. The first test will begin on February 16th at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The test will consist of a day-night pink-ball match. In 2018, both teams played a day-night test at Eden Park in Auckland, which New Zealand won by an inning and 49 runs.

After a sluggish start to the year, England has turned things around, winning 9 of the last 10 tests. Six of them appeared while pursuing the target. They recently travelled to Pakistan for a three-match test series. The series was won by England 3-0. Harry Brook won the series with 300 points at an average of 93.60 in three tests. With 15 wickets, Jake Leach led the bowling unit.

New Zealand, the current World Test Championship winner, had the worst year in tests last year, losing 5 of 8 tests. They drew the series against Bangladesh and South Africa at home before losing 3-0 in England. They, like England, travelled to Pakistan for a two-match test series, which they drew 0-0. Tom Latham scored 278 runs in the series, including a century and two half-centuries, while Ish Sodhi took 13 wickets.

England visited New Zealand for two two-test match series in 2018 and 2019. New Zealand won both games 1-0. In 2022, England exacted vengeance by defeating the visitors 3-0 at home. England has won 52 tests against New Zealand and lost 12 times in 110 matches.

The 1^st Test between New Zealand vs England will take place on February 16th, 2023 at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.

Match Details to Note

Match: New Zealand vs England, 1^st Test, England Tour of New Zealand 2023

Date: February 16, 2023 (Thursday)

Time: 6:00 AM IST

Venue: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

New Zealand vs England

New Zealand (Match Odds – 2.10):

Preview:

New Zealand has had an unfavourable year. They have fallen to a new low after reaching the finals of two ODI World Cups in a row, followed by their first WTC victory. With only two wins in the previous ten tests, skipper Tim Southee faces a difficult task in kicking off the home season with a bang. He will bat first alongside Devon Conway. With 278 runs, Latham was the leading run-scorer against Pakistan. Conway had an incredible start to his Test career and regained his form in the series against Pakistan, scoring a century and a half-century. He will be our first-choice batter.

Kane Williamson is back in form after a string of poor performances. Against Pakistan, Williamson scored his 25th century (his 5th double century). So far, he has 853 runs in 25 innings against England. The middle order will be filled by Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, and Tom Blundell. Mitchell has a batting average of 58.35 after 14 Tests, with four centuries and five half-centuries. Southee can use him as an extra spinner if they pick an extra pacer despite his limited bowling.

Michael Bracewell will be able to continue his test dream after a successful tour of India. Ajaz Patel has been replaced as New Zealand’s lead spinner by Ish Sodhi. With 13 wickets against Pakistan, Sodhi was the leading wicket-taker. New Zealand’s pace attack will be led by Tim Southee and Neil Wagner. Southee has an outstanding record against England. He has 66 wickets against visitors in 17 tests. Kyle Jamieson has been added to the New Zealand squad. He had a back injury during the English tour and had been out for 8 months.

Full Squad:

Tim Southee (C), Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Michtell, Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickener, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Players to watch out for:

Devon Conway

Since his debut for New Zealand, he has come a long way in longer versions of the game. Conway bowls well against both spin and pace bowlers and will be crucial for New Zealand in the upcoming series.

Neil Wagner

He is a hardworking bowler who sets up batters with his consistent short deliveries. Wagner has the potential to be the deciding factor in the Test Series.

Possible Playing XI:

Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (c), Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson

England (Match Odds – 1.75):

Preview:

England’s test team has been riding on a high level of confidence. Since taking over, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have altered the team’s strategy. England will bat first, with Ben Duckett and Zack Crawley. The pair played well against Pakistan. Duckett finished the series as the series’ second-leading run-scorer, trailing only Harry Brook. He drove in 357 runs in 6 innings, including a century and three half-centuries.

Ollie Pope’s comeback since taking the number three spot has been incredible for England. In his last nine Tests, he has two centuries and five half-centuries at number three. Joe Root, based on his recent form, will be the player to watch. Root is the ICC WTC 2021-23 cycle’s leading run-scorer. He has 1915 runs in 22 tests, including 8 centuries and 6 half-centuries. Aside from that, Root has 1388 runs in 16 Tests against New Zealand. The middle order in England is terrifying. The hosts will be tested by Harry Brooks, Ben Stokes, and Ben Foakes. Harry Brooks is our pick for the best batter. Brooks scored 468 runs in the Pakistan series, including a century in each of the three Tests.

Stuart Broad and Matty Potts have returned to the England squad after missing the Pakistan tour. Potts made his debut at home against New Zealand, taking 14 wickets in three tests. In the series, England will alternate between James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The pace attack will be led by Ollie Robinson and Potts. Robinson has 60 Test wickets in 14 games. The only spinner in the squad will be Jack Leach.

Full Squad:

Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Olly Stone

Players to watch out for:

Harry Brook

He is a flashy batter who can smash bowlers all over the ground. He’s in great shape and will look to keep scoring runs for his team.

James Anderson

This cricketer defies age laws. Anderson still has it in him to pick up wickets when they are needed. He will be crucial for England in the upcoming Test series.

Possible Playing XI:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Matty Potts, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Jack Leach

New Zealand vs England Head to Head

New Zealand vs England Head to Head Stats in Tests

	Matches Played	NZ Won	ENG Won	Tie	Draw
Overall	110	12	51	0	47

New Zealand vs England Toss Prediction

The team batting second won two of the three Tests that resulted in a result. The average score in the second inning is 437-67, which is higher than in the first. In the third inning, it becomes difficult to bat. The team that wins the coin toss should bowl first.

New Zealand vs England Pitch Report

The first Test will begin on February 16th at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The test will consist of a day-night pink-ball match. The venue has a capacity of 15000 spectators and has previously hosted 3 Tests, 30 ODIs, and 15 T20Is. At this venue, New Zealand has the highest total of 615 against England.

On the first day, the weather will be cloudy, with thunderstorms possible. The temperature will range between 15 and 22 degrees Celsius. The wind will be blowing at 10-34 km/h from the west. Cyclone Gabrielle wreaked havoc on Mount Maunganui, and more disruptions are expected during the test. In the first innings, the pitch favours the pacers with extra swing and bounce, but as the game progresses, it favours the batters.

New Zealand vs England Prediction

England has been playing some exciting test cricket since Stokes took over as captain. They are full of confidence, having won nine of the last ten tests. These victories came against Pakistan, New Zealand, India, and South Africa in test matches. Not only the batters, but also the bowlers, have made significant contributions to the revival. In the previous year, they defeated New Zealand 3-0.

The only statistic that can save New Zealand is England’s dismal record in pink-ball tests. England has lost five of its six pink-ball tests. Their last day-night test victory came six years ago, against the West Indies. They have since lost to New Zealand, India, and Australia. Aside from that, England has not won in New Zealand since 2008. The current record, however, strongly suggests that England will have the upper hand. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

England is the favourite to beat New Zealand at the odds of 1.75.

New Zealand vs England Most Recommended Player for Bet:

Joe Root: The English batting unit has been heavily chastised for its poor record in foreign conditions, so all eyes will be on the former captain to set a good example. During the warm-up game, the Yorkshire batter was in top form, putting on a solid 115-run partnership with Harry Brook for the fourth wicket to help them recover from an early crisis.

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