Who Will Win New Zealand vs England 1st Test?
The first test of the two-match series between New Zealand and England gets underway from March 22. This day-night fixture will be played at the Eden Park in Auckland with live telecast scheduled to begin each day at 2 PM local time.
NZ vs Eng 1st Test: Where to Watch/Live Streaming
TV channels: Star Sports, Sky Sports NZ, Sky Sports Cricket, Fox Sports
Live Streaming: Bet365, Hotstar, Sky Go, SuperSport
Read on for team analysis, betting odds, betting tips and match prediction for NZ vs Eng 1st Test...
New Zealand Team News & Playing 11
They will be hoping for a good batting performance from their skipper Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls. Taylor has been in great form of late across all formats of the game and also has a good record against England while Williamson has a test average of 52 at Auckland with a hundred and a fifty in two matches. Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner seem to be the best wicket-taking options for the Kiwis. Boult has 13 wickets in two tests at this ground and he is more likely to find success against the visitors.
New Zealand Predicted Playing 11
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Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk)
England Team News & Playing 11
The tourists have a strong batting line-up with heavyweights like Joe Root, Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali. But the one to watch out for would be the in-form Jonny Bairstow who was one of the few batsmen in the side who were able to impress during the Ashes. He also struck back-to-back tons in the last two games of the recently concluded ODI series against New Zealand. In the bowling department, England will rely on the quality of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes to get the early breakthroughs. Anderson has taken over 50 test wickets against the Kiwis while Broad will be raring to pick up that one scalp which will take him to 400 test wickets.
England Predicted Playing 11
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Joe Root (c), Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, James Anderson, Jack Leach/Mark Wood
New Zealand vs England 1st Test Betting Odds
England are warm favorites amongst the bookmakers to win the opening test at odds of 2.62 on Betfair, 2.50 on Bet365, 2.60 on Unibet, 2.63 on Ladbrokes and 2.40 on Betway. New Zealand begin as the bookmakers' underdogs at higher price of 3.75 on Betfair, 3.55 on Unibet, 3.40 on Betway and 3.50 each on Bet365 and Ladbrokes. A drawn game currently stands at 2.76 on Betfair, 2.62 on Bet365, 2.60 on Unibet, 2.38 on Ladbrokes and 2.70 on Betway.
New Zealand vs England 1st Test Prediction
New Zealand have won four, lost three and drawn two of their last nine tests at the Eden Park which isn't a very good record for a home ground. Moreover, they have lost their key all-rounder Mitchell Santner to a knee injury which is going to affect their bowling as well as middle-order batting. England on the other hand will look to put a disastrous Ashes tour of Australia behind them and seal a win that has eluded them since their past 11 tests. The visitors have a strong test record in New Zealand with 18 wins and 25 draws from 47 matches which is one of the reasons why we feel they stand a better chance to start this series off with a win.
Final Verdict: Back England to beat New Zealand at 2.62 on 1xbet, 2.50 on Bet365, 2.60 on Unibet, 2.63 on 10Cric and 2.40 on Betway.
Mar 22 - Mar 26, 2018
06:30 IST / 1:00 GMT
Eden Park - Auckland, New Zealand
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