Cricket
England v New Zealand ODI series preview
England and New Zealand will go head-to-head for another four white-ball matches over the next week, this time in the ODI format as the 2023 ICC World Cup looms closer.
We preview the action below, discussing some of the markets in Friday’s opener in Cardiff.
England with point to prove after T20 draw
Many English fans must have been thinking a series whitewash was on the cards after dismantling the Black Caps by 95 runs to win the second T20 match at Old Trafford, but it wasn’t to be the case. New Zealand responded in excellent fashion, taking the final two games at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge to level the series 2-2.
There will be concerns from an English perspective about how easily Tim Southee’s men were able to win the remaining two games, with the ease of their victories similar to England’s in the first two fixtures. Jos Buttler will point to the fact they rotated the side to accommodate an incredibly deep squad, evidenced by the captain’s omission from the final game on Tuesday, but if England are to win a second consecutive World Cup in India’s back yard, they will need to be more ruthless.
On Friday they welcome back Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes to the squad, whilst Harry Brook – controversially not selected for the ODI setup despite being one of the most in-form batsmen in world cricket over the last 12 months – will also feature as batting cover.
It should make for a more balanced England side than the almost exclusively brute-hitting line up we saw in the T20s, though the introduction of some of the Bazball children from England’s red-ball setup will hardly diminish the attacking approach too significantly. The hosts start as the firm 1/2 favourites to win the series opener in Wales on Friday, with the in-form Jonny Bairstow (10/3) and Mark Wood (10/3) leading the retrospective top batter and bowler markets.
Black Caps looking to kick on
You’d have been forgiven for thinking New Zealand would have approached their final two T20s this week with a degree of damage limitation after the nature of their defeats in Durham and Manchester. However, this Kiwi setup is made of stern stuff, and they deserve credit for hauling themselves back into the series – particularly when England were looking so strong at the 10-over mark in their innings at Trent Bridge.
Captain Kane Williamson will miss the action due to injury, but New Zealand will have the likes of Tom Latham, Will Young and Trent Boult to pick from as their white-ball side slowly becomes slightly more recognisable ahead of next month’s ICC World Cup. The Black Caps are 13/8 to win the series opener on Friday, though you’d be brave to underestimate a side that has reached two of the last three white-ball World Cup finals. If Boult plays, he is the 3/1 joint-favourite alongside Tim Southee to pick up the most wickets for the visitors.
William Hill ambassador Phil Tufnell’s pick for this game is England to win the contest and Joe Root to rack up the most runs for the hosts, which has been boosted from 11/2 to 7/1.
