Tuesday, June 1, 2021

ENG vs NZ: Fan2Play Fantasy Cricket Tips, Prediction, Playing XI and Pitch Report For 1st Test

Kane Williamson and Joe Root
Kane Williamson and Joe Root. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Match Details

The first game of the two-match Test series between England and New Zealand will be played at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. 

This match will start at 1 PM IST. There will be live streaming of this match in India.

Preview

New Zealand has arrived in England for a Test series for the first time since 2015. In recent times, the visitors have had an edge over Joe Root and his men. Interestingly, this is going to be New Zealand’s first visit to Lord’s since that World Cup final in 2019. 

England’s last Test series was in India and they had lost it 3-1. Having said that, it will be a relief for them they will have some friendly conditions to fall back on. Most of their players have recently been involved in the county season, which should make them happy. Kane Williamson and his men will have to get through the challenge of not having enough time to prepare. 

Probable Playing XIs of ENG vs NZ

England

Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence, James Bracey, Craig Overton/Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood/Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

New Zealand

Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Colin de Grandhomme/Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner/Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner

Captaincy Picks for ENG vs NZ

Joe Root

More than 100 Tests and 8617 runs is a testament to the fact how good Joe Root has been in the past few years. He is coming from a really good season with Yorkshire as well and in his last appearance, he also scored 99 runs. In the last six months, his record is also good and he has shown that he can score big hundreds, something which his team would need now. 

Kane Williamson

He has played 83 Tests and has scored 7115 runs in this team. He hasn’t played a Test match in a while but for a player of his class, it doesn’t take a lot of time to get back to normal ways of batting in Tests. He is also ranked no. 1 in the Test ranking for batsmen. 

Fan2Play Fantasy Cricket Tips

2-Player Team

Joe Root, Kane Williamson (C)

3-Player Team

James Anderson (C), Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling

4-Player Team

Neil Wagner (C), Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Tim Southee

11-Player Team

BJ Watling, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (C), Joe Root (VC), Ross Taylor, Rory Burns, Daryl Mitchell, James Anderson, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee, Stuart Broad

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.