New Zealand's tour of England continues with the ODI series starting on September 8th at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. The visitors bounced back with back-to-back wins in the recently concluded T20Is to level the series at 2-2.
After a very entertaining T20I series that ended 2-2 in Nottingham on Tuesday night, England and New Zealand turn their attention to ODI cricket for the first of four matches in the format. This will be the first ODI between the teams since their famous 2019 World Cup final. This opening match of the ODI series begins on Friday afternoon at 12:30 local time at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
England have not played an ODI since early March this year but will now focus fully on the format ahead of the World Cup. As always, they will be hard to beat with such a strong batting unit.
New Zealand showed their character and talent during the T20I series as they came back from a 0-2 deficit. They will go into this series as underdogs, but don't expect that to mean they won't be competitive.
Team Preview
England
This is a great opportunity for England to prepare for the World Cup and test their players before finalizing the 15-man squad for the tournament. Gus Atkinson will be one to watch.
The fast bowler is yet to make his ODI debut but has been impressive in the recent T20Is, picking up 6 wickets from 2 matches. Ben Stokes, who played his last ODI in July 2022, is another player to watch out for in this squad.
Although there were some voices criticizing Stokes' inclusion in the World Cup squad, he has been in great form in the longer format of the game and should view this series as an opportunity to silence his critics.
Bowling all-rounders Sam Curran and David Willey will play crucial roles in the lower league and will look to make the most of any chance they get in the XI for this series.
With Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone, England go into this series at full strength. Dawid Malan wasn't at his best but is a crucial figure in midfield. He has scored 769 runs from 18 ODIs at an average of 54.93.
In the bowling department, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Adil Rashid will be key players leading the attack.
New Zealand
A confident New Zealand side will take on the challenge of England after an impressive comeback in the T20Is. Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls are back in the side and will be the ones to watch in the New Zealand middle order.
These two are experienced players who have played key roles in the Blackcaps' longer format of the game. They have the ability to form partnerships and play longer innings.
NZ also added Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips to the squad, as well as three all-round batsmen. Whether they use all three in the starting lineup remains to be seen.
Rachin Ravindra can bowl a few overs but is less likely to be picked than Mitchell Santner, who has often been a finisher in the lower order.
Daryl Mitchell will certainly play in the middle order and play a big role for the team. Kyle Jamieson, who has only played 8 ODIs and has been impressive in Tests, is someone New Zealand would like to test in this series.
The bowling trio of Boult, Southee and Ferguson will lead the pace attack and are also likely to feature in the World Cup. The choice of fourth bowler is between Matt Henry, Jamieson and Adam Milne.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Sophia Gardens promises to be a batting paradise, offering friendly conditions for batsmen to make their mark. While pacers may find some support, the conditions are tilted in favor of batters. Choosing to hunt might be the preferred strategy.
Weather Report
The forecast is for the temperature to be around 20°C for most of this game and humidity to rise throughout the game.
Toss Prediction
The last two ODIs at this venue have seen 9 wicket wins for the second batting teams. Therefore, we assume that both captains will choose to field first if they win the toss.
Head to Head
Both teams are on par in recent direct duels. Of the 91 games between the two teams, New Zealand have won 43, while England are close behind with 42 wins. Four games ended without a result and two ended in a draw.
Venue Details
Sophia Gardens in Cardiff will host the first ODI of the series. The average first innings score here is 220 runs, but the highest total was recorded by England against Bangladesh when they scored a whopping 386 for 6 batting first in the 2019 World Cup. Given that the highest score achieved on this ground is 304 runs, we reckon a total score of 280+ runs would be quite competitive.
Match Prediction
Whenever England and New Zealand compete against each other, you can be sure that two teams will give their best throughout the competition. Both teams will be looking to achieve good form ahead of the World Cup later this year, so there will be a lot of pressure on both sets of players. We predict a close battle but are banking on England's batting power to carry them to victory.
England to beat New Zealand in 1st ODI.
Betting Tips
While New Zealand played well to level the T20 series last week, the home team made some changes that are likely to have a positive impact on their performance, particularly in the batting department. We therefore believe that the home team has the advantage.
Jos Buttler - The keeper-batter captain in a proactive but reserved manner. However, the same cannot be said for his batting as he is one of the most destructive batsmen in white-ball cricket.
Joe Root – The former England Test skipper plays an important role in this side where he is surrounded by strong stroke makers. Expect the right-hander to keep the scoreboard moving even when the wickets fall.
Adil Rashid – The leg-spinner has been a mainstay of the England ODI team since the 2015 World Cup and enjoys the full trust of his captain and the team management.
New Zealand Key Players
Devon Conway - The keeper-batter has scored three ODI centuries, including 138, his highest score in his final innings, and will be looking forward to facing England in the format for the first time.
Daryl Mitchell – The 32-year-old right-handed batting all-rounder has emerged as a key all-format player for New Zealand in recent years, averaging 43.63 in ODIs.
Trent Boult – The left-arm opening bowler has fantastic control as well as the ability to swing the ball late. He also provides some useful, aggressive tail strokes.
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