Rusty New Zealand will look to bounce back while expecting a far better show from their batters when the side face England in the second Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, starting from Friday (June 10).
The Three Lions are 1-0 up in this three-match series following their morale-boosting five-wicket win over New Zealand at Lord's last week. It was England's just second win in the previous 18 matches in this format.
England has already named their playing XI ahead of the second Test, and it's good news for the home side as Jack Leach, who was ruled out of the Lord's Test due to a concussion, is back in the combination.
There are no other changes in the team as all of them retained their places after a successful outing in the previous Test. The hosts would now be looking to take an unassailable lead in the series and win it to claim their first-ever Test series win after January 2021.
On the other hand, New Zealand has witnessed an unreal decline in their form since they were crowned the inaugural World Test Champions last year. They have played seven Test matches after the WTC title and have won only two. They have lost four games, with one ending in a draw.
In the opening Test against England, they were decent with the ball, and it was their batting lineup was a massive letdown for them, with only Daryl Mitchell (108) and Tom Blundell (96) breaching the 50 run mark. Captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of this fixture after testing positive for Covid-19.
In another set of disappointment, their all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme was ruled out of the entire series after suffering a heel injury. Henry Nicholls is expected to replace him in the playing XI.
New Zealand batters will have to step up and contribute to the team to avoid a series loss and make things worse. However, the task would not be easy as the vivacious Englishmen will come out all guns blazing in the Nottingham Test.
Match Details
Match: England vs New Zealand, 2nd Test, New Zealand tour of England, 2022
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Date & Time: June 10 Friday – June 14 Tuesday, 2022, 03:30 PM IST
TV: Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming: Sony LIV App
Pitch Report: The pitch at Trent Bridge is going to pose difficulties for the batters to face the swing and seam in the initial phases of the game. However, as the match progresses, the surface is expected to become flat.
The toss will play a huge role here as neither of the teams would want to bat first in bowling friendly conditions.
Pitch Stats
Matches Played: 64
Matches won batting first: 23
Matches won bowling first: 17
Average 1st Inns scores: 319
Average 2nd Inns scores: 305
Average 3rd Inns scores: 264
Average 4th Inns scores: 158
Highest total recorded - 658/8 (188 Overs) by ENG vs AUS
Lowest total recorded - 60/10 (18.3 Overs) by AUS vs ENG
Head-To-Head:
Matches Played: 108
England Won: 49
New Zealand Won: 12
Draw: 47
In England*
Matches Played: 57
England Won: 31
New Zealand Won: 6
Draw: 20
Injury Update/Players' Availability:
England: Spinner Jack Leach has come back into England's playing XI for the second Test match after being ruled out of the first game due to a concussion.
New Zealand: Colin de Grandhomme was ruled out of the series due to a heel injury. Henry Nicholls might replace him in NZ's playing XI.
Key Match-Ups
Williamson v Anderson: 143/7
Williamson v Broad: 164/4
Latham v Broad: 124/8
Latham v Anderson: 108/1
Will Young vs Anderson: 16/2
Conway vs Broad: 67/4
Root v Southee: 237/5
Root v Wagner: 194/4
Root vs Boult: 142/5
Root vs Jamieson: 56/1
Stokes v Southee: 166/4
Stokes vs Boult: 115/3
Bairstow v Southee: 43/4
Pope vs Southee: 30/2
Squads:
England: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes (wk), Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Joe Root
New Zealand: Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Cam Fletcher, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Will Young, Michael Bracewell, Hamish Rutherford.
Probable Playing XI:
England (Announced): Alex Lees, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wk), Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Will Young, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Hamish Rutherford.
CREX XI Suggestion:
Wicket-Keeper: Tom Blundell
Batters: Joe Root, Devon Conway, Alex Lees, Zak Crawley
All-Rounders: Ben Stokes, Daryl Mitchell
Bowlers: James Anderson, Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson, Matthew Potts
Captain: Joe Root
Vice-Captain: Daryl Mitchell