England will face New Zealand in an all-important encounter during the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday. The game is an important one for both teams as the winner will cement berth in the semi-finals, whereas the loser will wait for the result of the match between Pakistan and Bangladesh to know their fate.
England will be coming in this match high on confidence after securing an important win against in-form India in their previous match. In the batting department, the home side will be relying on the likes of in-form openers Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, veteran right-hander Joe Root, captain Eoin Morgan, all-rounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett and Jofra Archer to produce timely breakthroughs. Looking at the team's performance in the previous match, there are no major changes expected in the playing eleven.
On the other hand, New Zealand will enter the match relatively low on confidence after suffering back-to-back defeats against Pakistan and Australia in their previous two matches. In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of captain Kane Williamson, veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult to produce
England will face New Zealand in an all-important encounter during the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday. The game is an important one for both teams as the winner will cement berth in the semi-finals, whereas the loser will wait for the result of the match between Pakistan and Bangladesh to know their fate.
England will be coming in this match high on confidence after securing an important win against in-form India in their previous match. In the batting department, the home side will be relying on the likes of in-form openers Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, veteran right-hander Joe Root, captain Eoin Morgan, all-rounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett and Jofra Archer to produce timely breakthroughs. Looking at the team's performance in the previous match, there are no major changes expected in the playing eleven.
On the other hand, New Zealand will enter the match relatively low on confidence after suffering back-to-back defeats against Pakistan and Australia in their previous two matches. In the batting department, the team will be relying on the likes of captain Kane Williamson, veteran middle-order batsman Ross Taylor and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult to produce timely breakthroughs. There are chances that the Black Caps team management might give an opportunity to leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, who can replace pacer Matt Henry.
Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street will be used as the venue for the Wednesday's match, which will be the 19th ODI at the ground. In the previous match at the venue on Monday, it was a high-scoring affair and it was Sri Lanka who came out on top with a 23-run margin against West Indies. For the match on Wednesday, the pitch is expected to be a good one for batting whereas the weather is expected to stay fine throughout.
Player Recommendations:
Batsman: Kane Williamson (10.5 Cr)
New Zealand's Kane Williamson is having an excellent tournament with the bat in hand. The veteran right-hander is the team's leading run-getter by a margin with 454 runs in six innings at an outstanding average of 113.50 and with a strike-rate of 77.87, which included two centuries and a fifty.
Wicketkeeper: Jos Buttler (9 Cr)
Jos Buttler is having a quiet tournament, according to his own high standards. With the bat in hand, Buttler has only scored 242 runs in seven innings at an average of 34.57 and with a strike-rate of 132.96, which included a solitary century and a fifty. Behind the wicket in the field, Buttler has been involved in just nine dismissals in eight matches.
All-rounder: Ben Stokes (9.5 Cr)
Ben Stokes is having a very good tournament for the home side. The 28-year-old is the second-highest run-getter for England with 370 runs in eight innings at an outstanding average of 61.66 and with a strike-rate of 98.93, which included four half-centuries. That's not it as he also has six wickets to his name.
Bowler: Trent Boult (9 Cr)
Trent Boult is having a good tournament with the ball in hand. The left-arm pacer is the second-highest wicket-taker for the Black Caps with 13 scalps in seven outings at a strike-rate of 45.6 and with an economy-rate of just 4.55.
Predicted Playing XI:
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
