ADVERTISEMENT
  • Home
  • Cricket News
  • What Changes England And New Zealand Have Made To Their Playing Xis For 2Nd Test

What Changes England And New Zealand Have Made To Their Playing XIs For 2nd Test?

Soumyajit Dutta∙ Updated: Dec 5 2024, 11:45 AM

England and New Zealand announce Playing XIs for 2nd Test at Wellington [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]England and New Zealand announce Playing XIs for 2nd Test at Wellington [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]

After being hit by a severe penalty by the ICC, both England and New Zealand are out of their luck for the WTC finals in June 2025 and will continue to their ongoing three-match test series. England currently leads the series 1-0 after their dominant 8-wicket victory at Christchurch.  

The Kiwis will look forward to defend the series with the 2nd win at Basin Reserve on December 6 and ahead of the test, both the teams have announced their playing XIs for the test.  

story continues below ADVERTISEMENT

England, New Zealand's 'No-Change' Bet For Wellington

Both England and New Zealand have, resisted the urge to make any change and went with the same playing XI as of the first test. Despite spin playing a crucial role in the most recent Test at the Basin Reserve, New Zealand has opted for a four-pronged pace attack for the upcoming match. 

New Zealand captain Tom Latham defended the decision to exclude their sole specialist spinner, Mitchell Santner, who performed exceptionally well in the recent Indian tour. 

story continues below ADVERTISEMENT

"The balance that we've gone in with is the right balance for this wicket, and we obviously have some spin options in the top seven anyway," Latham said as quoted by ICC.

Latham acknowledged the surprising spin in the previous Test but believes the current pitch conditions favour pace bowling. 

story continues below ADVERTISEMENT

England have also opted for continuity in their playing XI. Ollie Pope will continue his role as the stand-in wicketkeeper, having impressed with both the bat and the gloves in the previous match. 

Jacob Bethell, who made a stunning half-century on debut, will retain his spot at number three. Despite the availability of uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Robinson, England have decided to stick with the winning combination.

story continues below ADVERTISEMENT

New Zealand Playing XI: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Will O'Rourke


England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir