Published: Jun 17, 2015, 01:58 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 17, 2015, 02:32 PM (IST)
With England announcing their intent strongly with a resounding win in the first One-Day International (ODI) and New Zealand serious on displaying the quality and consistency for which they have earned a reputation, the teams are engaged in a fierce contest. After three games it is not easy to predict the eventual series winners. Lots of runs have been scored and few wickets taken. Abhishek Mukherjee takes a look at some key battles ahead of the fourth ODI at Nottingham.
Brendon McCullum and Steven Finn: The hard-hitting opener and captain of New Zealand had demolished Finn in their World Cup clash in Wellington, smashing six sixes off him to take 49 runs off two overs. McCullum went on to score 77 off 25 deliveries, but Finn didn’t return to bowl. PREVIEW: England vs New Zealand, 4th ODI
McCullum tried to smash him similarly in the first ODI at Edgbaston, but got his off stump pegged back after he had scored only 10. That was the first signal of a rejuvenated England side that went on to surprise the favourites, registering their biggest victory. McCullum and Finn have both had lacklustre outings in subsequent games. It will be fascinating to see them lock horns on their best days — who will come out on top?
Kane Williamson and Adil Rashid: Rashid was the other star in the Edgbaston ODI. Among his key wickets was that of Williamson, widely considered to be worthy of future eminence in New Zealand’s cricket. Rashid was ineffective and expensive in the ODIs that followed, in which Williamson showed his class by scoring 93 and 118. READ: Dimitri Mascarenhas unsurprised by England’s resurgence
Williamson’s strengths lie not only his ease in playing off both the front foot and back, but also in his strength against both pace and spin. The duo of Ross Taylor and Williamson are the best players of spin in the team. Rashid will be expected to be tamed successfully by Williamson, but what if Rashid chooses to have his best day, like at Edgbaston, displaying the talent he has been chosen for?
Ross Taylor and Ben Stokes: Another all-round solid batsman who has respectful stats for New Zealand, Taylor has struck form with two centuries in two games. Of late, In Tests and ODIs, he kept getting starts without converting them into big scores. But his proven quality was once again the highlight of the two ODI wins by his team in the series. READ: Mike Hesson hails ‘scary’ England
Stokes, on the other hand, is England’s athletic all-rounder capable of turning matches, even Tests, on their head with a burst of brilliance. He has had a middling series so far, and is due one. Will he be able to stop Taylor’s run of big runs?
Joe Root and Tim Southee: The most productive batsman for England in recent times against New Zealand most experienced strike bowler is certainly a mouth-watering prospect. Root scored a match-winning century in the first ODI, fell cheaply in the second and was dismissed softly after scoring 54 in the third. As England’s most prolific batsman in the current season, he will be expected to fire in the upcoming crunch games to help his side put up big totals in ODIs that are predicted to be runs-heavy.
Tim Southee’s three wickets were useful in New Zealand’s narrow win in the last ODI. What if Root at his best, which demands a quality counter, finds his match in Southee? Without Trent Boult, his experience will be critical in New Zealand’s plans for a series win.
(Abhishek Mukherjee is a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @bhejafryyy)
