England vs New Zealand – 1st Test Match Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs New Zealand taking place? Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021 – 11:00 (UK)
Where is England vs New Zealand taking place? Lord’s, London
What is the expected weather for England vs New Zealand? 22-26c with sunshine forecast across all five days with a gentle breeze
What channel is England vs New Zealand on? The match will be televised live on Sky Sports
Where can I stream England vs New Zealand? The match can be streamed live via SkyGo
LAST MEETING
Match Drawn
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
- The start of a very busy international summer for England sees them host the number one ranked test side New Zealand at Lord’s in the first of a two match test series, almost three months after being beaten 3-1 by India in the subcontinent.
- All of England’s test players who recently returned from the IPL have not been named in the squad, whilst all-rounder Ben Stokes, fast bowler Jofra Archer and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes are all out through injury with opening batter Haseeb Hameed and England limited overs squad regular Sam Billings both called up as cover.
- Gloucestershire wicketkeeper James Bracey is expected to make his debut behind the stumps in both Jos Buttler and Foakes’ absence, whilst Sussex bowler Ollie Robinson may also be in line for a first England test cap, although he could be overlooked in favour of Somerset’s Craig Overton.
NEW ZEALAND
- Having not been in red ball action since the beginning of January, New Zealand have the opportunity to use these upcoming two tests against England as preparation for the World Test Championship final against India later in June.
- The most notable omission from the New Zealand side for the first test will be left arm fast bowler Trent Boult, who was granted permission to fly to England later than the touring party to spend time with his family following the suspension of the IPL.
- Wicketkeeper BJ Watling will be playing at Lord’s for the final time as he is set to retire from all forms of cricket following the World Test Championship final and the Kiwis will be hoping that Watling can provide vital runs to support the likes of captain Kane Williamson and opening batter Tom Latham.
THE PREDICTION
The English international gets underway with an intriguing first test between England and New Zealand, with both sides unable to field a full strength XI at Lord’s. Despite the absence of fast bowler Trent Boult, the tourists still boasts a strong pace attack with the likes of Neil Wagner, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson all available for selection, the latter set to feature for the first time in test cricket outside of New Zealand. Even without the services of the mercurial Jofra Archer, England will be more than confident of taking 20 Kiwi wickets over the course of these five days with experienced stars James Anderson and Stuart Broad notoriously strong with the Dukes ball in English conditions. The key for the hosts will be whether their inexperienced batting line-up can cope with New Zealand’s bowling unit and contribute a significant number of runs without being over reliant on captain Joe Root.
Lord’s always tends to offer assistance to the bowlers, although the forecasted sunshine may tip the scales back into the batters favour. Due to a lack of balance within their side caused by the unavailability of all-rounders such as Stokes, Woakes and Sam Curran, England head coach Chris Silverwood may be tempted not to pick a specialist spin-bowler in Jack Leach and instead play four pace bowlers, with the part-time spin of both Root and Dan Lawrence available if needed. England’s test record at home is formidable and when taking into account the excellent form the likes of Broad have shown with the ball in county cricket over the past month or so, him and the rest of the England bowlers should lay the foundations for a home victory in this first test with the New Zealand players perhaps set to be affected by having played such little red ball test match cricket recently combined with their gun fast bowler Boult not being available.
