It was all going so well for England. They came into this World Cup as the top-ranked ODI side in the world. A few weeks later, they were on the brink of an early exit after three losses, including to Sri Lanka and Australia. There followed a massive game against unbeaten India, in which a team lacking in confidence managed to pull themselves together and England won by 31 runs. India remain in second, with Australia way out in front. But with the final games of the knockout stages looming, England, New Zealand and Pakistan will be battling to take the two remaining semi-final places.
The Kiwis are currently ahead of England in the rankings but will switch places with England if they lose due to England’s far superior run rate. New Zealand feel that they have yet to hit their stride when it comes to batting, so this would be the perfect – not to mention last – opportunity to put something together. Their bowling has been solid throughout; it’s the batting that has been a bit suspect. Captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have shouldered the burden of the batting responsibilities; the rest of the team have been pretty poor.
England vs New Zealand Predictions
This is England’s game to lose. New Zealand are a challenge for sure, but compared to the likes of Australia and India, a team that can and should be beaten at Chester-Le-Street on Wednesday.
England vs New Zealand Betting Tips
- Jason Roy to be England Top Batsman – 11/4
- Trent Boult to be New Zealand Top Bowler – 11/4
- Over 9.5 total match sixes – 5/6
Head to Head
- History seems to be on New Zealand’s side when it comes to wins, with five wins to England’s three. More importantly, when it comes to World Cup matches, the last four have gone New Zealand’s way.
- 2015’s tournament saw New Zealand’s biggest win, by a massive 8 wickets.
England Team News
England are likely to rely on the bowling partnership of Chris Woakes and Liam Plunkett to take wickets, while Jason Roy appears to have recovered from his hamstring problem, having scored 66 against Australia.
New Zealand Team News
Trent Boult bagged a hat-trick of wickets against Australia, and will likely be joined by Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. Their batting prospects are less sure, with Martin Guptill getting only 85 runs in six innings, while wicket-keeper Tom Latham is managing to average just 8.2 runs per game. New Zealand are confident that the best is yet to come.
