New Zealand vs England, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A match: New Zealand’s batting provides edge over England
ICC World Cup 2015: New Zealand’s batting provides edge over England
England arrived in Wellington earlier this week to play against host nation New Zealand in their second ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match at Wellington’s Basin Reserve on Friday. Despite having comparable bowling units, Sudatta Mukherjee feels New Zealand will have an edge because of their consistent batting display in recent matches.
England arrived in Australia in January to play the One-Day International (ODI) tri-series against the host and India. Despite having stayed in Australia for over a month and (supposedly) more acclimatised with the conditions after playing four Tests against Australia, India failed against England. Ultimately, Australia and England faced each other in the tri-series final, where the hosts defeated the visitors. SCORECARD: New Zealand vs England ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
England once again faced Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 opener, where the Eoin Morgan-led side were tested to the extreme and finally succumbed to a 111-run defeat. England are now in Wellington, and will face the second host nation in their second ICC World Cup 2015 match. Despite having comparable bowling units, New Zealand have a significant edge over England as the Black Caps’ batting unit has performed consistently well in recent times.
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Add to that the home factor: New Zealand have been in superb form at home. In the last 12 months they have thrashed India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home, and barring the blemish against South Africans, they have done a wonderful job. They even bettered Pakistan in the ODI series in UAE.
ODI Series played since January 01, 2015
| vs Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R |
| India | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| South Africa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pakistan* | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sri Lanka | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
*The series was in United Arab Emirates
Since January 1, 2015, New Zealand have played four ODIs in which they have crossed 300; they have won all four. This includes the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 opener against Sri Lanka. However, in all these occasions, New Zealand have batted first. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
On the other hand, England have played 27 ODIs in the last 12 months, of which have won 10. They have lost their last two matches against Australia by 112 runs (tri-series final) and 111 runs (ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 opener). This clearly indicates England’s poor batting form. England played seven ODIs in Sri Lanka and lost five of them. Out of the five, England lost three chasing the target.
Let us look at England batsmen’s statistics from ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 squad from the last 12 months:
| Players | Matches | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s |
| Eoin Morgan | 24 | 401 | 121 | 18.22 | 1 | 1 |
| Alex Hales | 7 | 126 | 42 | 18.00 | 0 | 0 |
| Gary Ballance | 8 | 139 | 64 | 23.16 | 0 | 1 |
| Ian Bell | 16 | 555 | 141 | 39.64 | 1 | 3 |
| James Taylor | 10 | 415 | 98* | 51.87 | 0 | 4 |
| Joe Root | 26 | 919 | 113 | 41.77 | 3 | 3 |
| Jos Buttler | 26 | 688 | 121 | 32.76 | 1 | 3 |
| Moeen Ali | 18 | 550 | 119 | 30.55 | 1 | 3 |
| Ravi Bopara | 20 | 389 | 65 | 25.93 | 0 | 3 |
Apart from James Taylor and Joe Root, no England batsman have averaged over 40. Taylor has played 12 matches till now and the in-form Root barely exceeds 40. Even the likes of Ian Bell have an average below 40. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Of late, the problem with England has been that their top-order has failed and the middle-order had to face the pressure. Apart from one-off heroics from batsmen, most of them have failed. Even skipper Eoin Morgan’s dismal batting performance has been a headache for the team. Bopara and Moeen Ali are yet to fire up.
In comparison, New Zealand are better placed.
| Players | Matches | Runs | HS | Ave | 100s | 50s |
| Brendon McCullum | 13 | 388 | 117 | 32.33 | 1 | 2 |
| Kane Williamson | 13 | 848 | 123 | 70.66 | 3 | 5 |
| Grant Elliott | 9 | 344 | 104* | 57.33 | 1 | 1 |
| Martin Guptill | 17 | 399 | 76 | 26.6 | 0 | 3 |
| Tom Latham | 13 | 222 | 42 | 22.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke Ronchi | 19 | 614 | 170* | 51.16 | 1 | 1 |
| Ross Taylor | 15 | 608 | 105* | 55.27 | 2 | 3 |
| Corey Anderson | 16 | 349 | 81 | 26.84 | 0 | 2 |
There are three players in the New Zealand side whose average are above 50. Despite having an average around 32, Brendon McCullum on his day can wreck havoc.
We are yet to consider bowlers who can bat, such as Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes from England and Daniel Vettori from New Zealand. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
There are multiple reasons why New Zealand are slotted to be the winner in Friday’s match. But, the main point is that England’s biggest headache has been their batting in recent times. Apart from winning two ODIs against India recently, England does not have anything to boast about.
The only way to beat New Zealand would be to not let the home team bat first and let hope James Anderson and Broad finish off the match.
(Sudatta Mukherjee is a reporter with CricketCountry. Other than writing on cricket, she spends penning random thoughts on her blog. When she is not writing, you will catch her at a movie theatre or watching some English television show on her laptop. Her Twitter handle is @blackrosegal)