New Zealand vs West Indies – 2nd Test Match Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is New Zealand vs West Indies taking place? Thursday, December 10th, 2020 – 22:00 (UK)
Where is New Zealand vs West Indies taking place? Basin Reserve, Wellington
What is the expected weather for New Zealand vs West Indies? 19c with a risk of rain on the first day but otherwise sunshine with cloudy intervals
What channel is New Zealand vs West Indies on? The match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream New Zealand vs West Indies? The match will not be streamed live in the UK
Where can I get tickets for New Zealand vs West Indies? Tickets for this match can be purchased here!
LAST MEETING
New Zealand beat West Indies by an innings and 134 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
NEW ZEALAND
- New Zealand produced an excellent display in the First Test to win by an innings in Hamilton as they had skipper Kane Williamson to thank for his outstanding double hundred which laid the platform for their bowlers to back up and guide them to victory.
- There is a chance that Williamson could be unavailable for this game due to the expected birth of his first child later in December but he is likely to play this game and potentially miss some of the upcoming matches with Pakistan after this Test.
- The performance of Kyle Jamieson with bat and ball will give them particular confidence following that opening match though while it was a dominant win, there is still plenty of room for improvement that the BlackCaps can make which is ominous for the tourists.
WEST INDIES
- West Indies had some bright moments in the First Test but too many players were ultimately below par and after a poor batting performance on day three where they lost 16 wickets, they simply could not survive against the impress Kiwi bowling attack.
- The top order simply has to improve as they could only muster 138 in their first innings and 247 in the second – 190 of which came from Blackwood and Joseph – such was the lack of contribution from their top five batsmen.
- They are forced into two changes at the very least here as Shane Dowrich has a hand injury and Kemar Roach has returned home following the death of his father so that will mean a debut for 22-year-old Joshua Da Silva and potentially one for Chemar Holder or Keemo Paul will come in.
THE PREDICTION
As expected, there was a major gulf in quality between these two sides in the opening Test and the chances are that gulf may get even wider in this second and final match of the series. The BlackCaps know how to play in these conditions perfectly and the Windies struggled to cope at times when the hosts found their rhythm. The Windies batsmen are in abysmal form and while they may improve from the experience, the chances are the hosts will too. The two absentees and enforced changes will certainly not help the tourists and unless they can somehow turn it around drastically, another comprehensive win for the hosts is on the cards.
