England and New Zealand will cross swords in the first of the four-match ODI series starting with the game on Friday at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
Both teams will be coming into this match with mixed emotions in their camp. England might still feel dejected, considering they once had a 2-0 lead in the recently concluded T20I series, before losing the last two games.
On the other hand, New Zealand will be fairly happy with how they turned up in those two games to level the series at 2-2, they will be more than aware of the horrific performances in the first two matches.
What have they done so far?
As for the recent matches of the two teams, England and New Zealand squared off in a T20I series, where England won the first two matches by 7 wickets and 95 runs respectively before the Kiwis made a comeback with a 74-run and a 6-wicket win.
Don’t miss out: How the English and the Kiwi players fared out in the T20I series that ended as a 2-2 draw?
In terms of form in ODI cricket, neither team has been at their best in recent times. England might have beaten Bangladesh 2-1 earlier this year, but they will still remember the 1-2 defeat against South Africa back in June. Before that, there was a 0-3 whitewash against the Aussies.
As for New Zealand, they spent a lengthy while in Pakistan back in April and May but did not really enjoy their stay, because of their poor performances. The two teams met five times in the ODI series, with Pakistan winning four of those games.
Before that series, the Kiwis were up against Sri Lanka at home and managed to win both games, but in January, they were whitewashed by India, which clearly highlights their glaring weaknesses away from home.
Head to Head Record
If we talk about the head-to-head records, there is very little to separate the two teams, though New Zealand is ahead just by an inch. The two teams have met 91 times in ODI cricket, where the Kiwis won 43 games and the Three Lions won 42 games. Two matches ended in ties, while four were abandoned.
In terms of recent form, England is way ahead of their opposition. The last two meetings between these teams were at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and England won both games, one of them being the iconic final.
Key Players
Ben Stokes (England): England fans will be keeping a close eye on this encounter not only because an ODI game against New Zealand usually is a nail-biting affair epitomized by the final of the last edition of the 50-over World Cup, but also because it will mark the return of Ben Stokes in ODI cricket.
England’s 2019 World Cup final hero Ben Stokes will be making his ODI comeback
The hero of the 2019 World Cup final will be making a comeback ahead of another World Cup, and numbers prove why it will be a significant boost for the Three Lions. He has scored 2924 runs in this format at an average of nearly 40, while as far as his bowling skills are concerned, he has done a more than decent job by picking up 74 wickets.
Trent Boult (New Zealand): If England will have a star left-hander returning to their team, New Zealand will have one too as Trent Boult will be seen in the Blackcaps jersey for the first time in more than a year. The experienced pacer, who usually is quite lively on the tracks in this part of the world, will play his first ODI game since September last year.
This will be a milestone occasion as it will mark his 100th ODI appearance for the Blackcaps. So far, he has picked up 187 wickets at an average of less than 23 and an economy rate of less than 5 runs per over.
Predicted XIs
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Dawid Malan, Jos Buttler © (wk), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham © (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Glen Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
Prediction
Although New Zealand will be bolstered by the addition of Tom Latham and Boult, England’s squad is a more balanced one, with star players across every single department. Considering that, we have predicted Buttler’s team to win this match.