With the series level at 1-1, England and New Zealand will face each other again in the third ODI of the series at The Oval on Wednesday. New Zealand won the opening match of the series by 8 wickets in Cardiff, while England won by 79 runs (DLS) on Sunday. This ODI starts at 12:30pm local time in South London.

After winning the second ODI and leveling the four-match series 1-1, England are preparing for a showdown with New Zealand in the third ODI at the Kennington Oval on Wednesday.

Liam Livingstone's unbeaten knock of 95 played a crucial role in England's impressive total of 234 in the second ODI, and their bowlers defeated New Zealand for just 147.

England are fully focused on maintaining their winning ways and taking the lead in the series. On the other hand, New Zealand are determined to make a comeback and make up for their recent defeat.

Match Preview

The stage is set for a thrilling showdown when England (ENG) take on New Zealand (NZ) in the 3rd ODI of the 2023 New Zealand-England tour at The Oval in London. After a thrilling second ODI, the score is 1-1, highlighting the competitive spirit of both teams. England secured victory by a margin of 79 runs in the final match.

England faced a challenging situation in the last game where overs were reduced due to a rain delay as their top batters including Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow fell cheaply. However, a resilient partnership between Moeen Ali and Jos Buttler, followed by a spectacular 100-run stand between Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran, took England to a total of 226 runs and the loss of seven wickets in 34 overs. The New Zealand bowlers, particularly Trent Boult and Tim Southee, showed commendable skill in a challenging situation.

New Zealand suffered an early setback when opener Finn Allen was run out without scoring. But Devon Conway's 48-year partnership with Will Young steadied the ship. Daryl Mitchell's determined innings of 57 runs provided a glimmer of hope. Nevertheless, wickets continued to fall at crucial intervals, eventually leading to New Zealand being dismissed for 147 runs. Credit goes to the England bowlers who secured three wickets each, David Willey and Reece Topley, for their crucial role in securing the win.

Pitch Report

The pitch at The Oval promises plenty of runs and provides a friendly surface for batters to make their mark on. Pacers will find conditions they like, but batters will be expected to succeed. Choosing to hunt may well be the preferred strategy.

Weather Report

The weather forecast for south London is for dry conditions on Wednesday afternoon and evening. It will be humid throughout, rising to up to 70% late in the evening.

Toss Prediction

The last two ODIs at The Oval have been won by the team chasing in the second innings. Therefore, we expect both skippers to start first in this game.

Match Prediction

This game is well prepared as England leveled the series 1-1 on Sunday. England have a very strong record at The Oval and are confident of building on that in this game. New Zealand are a very competitive team in all formats and we expect them to narrowly edge out England on Wednesday. Overall, we predict a win for England.

England to beat New Zealand

Head to Head

Both teams have played 92 games against each other so far. New Zealand have won 44 of these games while England have 42 to their name. 2 games were drawn, while 4 games yielded no result.

Venue Details

The Kennington Oval in London has a spectator capacity of 23,500 people. The stadium has an extremely good batting goal that stays the same throughout the game, making it extremely entertaining.

Betting Tips

Although England are undoubtedly one of the strongest teams around, we believe that the latter have a good chance of winning this game given the visitors' performance last week. New Zealand have found a better balance between attack and restraint, which is paying off. In addition, the odds on New Zealand are much more attractive and, in their current form, hard to miss.

Bet on England to win.

Probable Playing XI

England

Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, David Willey, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley

New Zealand

Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Trent Boult

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 prediction

England Key Players

Jos Buttler - The right-hander doesn't have the best ODI record at the Oval but will still go into this game confident given his strong form over the last 24 months.

Liam Livingstone – The hard-hitting middle-order all-rounder has suddenly found his rhythm in the series. Only Daryl Mitchell has scored more runs in the first two games than Livingstone with 147.

Reece Topley - The tall left-arm pace bowler produced wickets during the middle overs on Sunday as he bowled out Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra over an eight-ball period.

New Zealand Key Players

Daryl Mitchell – The batting all-rounder has hit the most sixes for New Zealand in both games of the series so far and has scored three centuries and a half-century in his last six games in the format.

Tim Southee – The veteran swing bowler is producing wickets in the format faster than at any point in his career and added two more to his tally on Sunday.

Trent Boult – The left-arm opening bowler was brilliant with the new ball in the last game as he picked up key wickets of Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Ben Stokes.