New Zealand vs England Preview & Prediction | First T20 International
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New Zealand and England lock horns in the first of a three-match T20i series with the first two games taking place in Christchurch.
Date/time:
Venue: Hagley Oval, Christchurch New Zealand
Weather: A real chance of rain disrupting play with dark skies and grey clouds.
How to watch: UK – TNT Sports / USA – Willow TV
New Zealand vs England prediction
The big news from a Black Caps perspective is the absence of Kane Williamson, who is only set to play in the ODI series between New Zealand and England, thus missing the T20i games. He will be a big miss, whilst bowler Ben Sears is out with a hamstring injury. All-rounder Mitchell Santner returns to captain the side.
For England, there are question marks regarding the balance of their team but from a batting perspective, the squad is stacked. From the top order downwards, there is certainly enough firepower to pile up the runs. However, with the weather a lingering threat in this first match, a shrewd move would be to focus on Phil Salt. Firmly established as a cornerstone piece for England in white ball cricket, Salt’s power and aggression when opening the batting makes him well worth backing to accrue an individual score of at least 25 runs.
New Zealand vs England tip: Phil Salt to score over 24.5 match runs
