England vs New Zealand 2015, one-off T20 International at Old Trafford, Preview: Both teams want to end the tour on high note
England vs New Zealand, one-off T20 International at Old Trafford: Preview
England will take on New Zealand in the one-off T20 International (T20I) at Old Trafford on Tuesday. This will be the one last time these two teams will be meeting on this tour. After edging past the Kiwis in the One-Day International (ODI) series, Eoin Morgan‘s England will be high on confidence to surprise them once more. READ: England cricket on the rise with emergence of new talents
Eoin Morgan-led ‘New England’ have been a revelation in coloured clothing this summer. They came back from 1-2 behind to clinch the ODI series 3-2. The brand of cricket they have played is surprisingly refreshing for the English setup. They will like to to continue their good work. READ: England have decoded ODI batting but bowling remains suspect
England’s T20 squad has a new look. They have included five uncapped players. Sam Billings, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey and Mark Wood were their in the ODI squad but yet to play a T20I. Jonny Bairstow, hero of the 5th ODI, will keep wickets in the absence of Jos Buttler. READ: New Zealand’s bowling woes continue to mar batting brilliance
For New Zealand this will be the one last opportunity on this tour for them to showcase their true potential. The narrowly missed out the ODI series but winning this one-off T20I will be a consolation of sorts for them. It will, however, not be easy. Though their batsmen have done their job in most of time, bowling has been an issue. The Kiwi bowlers failed to tame the Englishmen, which cost them a few games in the ODI series. Brendon McCullum and co. have to rectify this issue. READ: New Zealand bowlers have to get their act together against England
This will be a day-night encounter. The pitch at Old Trafford is expected to be another batting paradise, so both captains would like to chase over here. READ: ICC must come to rescue of bowlers as Eng vs NZ ODI series turns out to be a run-fest
Squads:
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Sam Billings, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c), Luke Ronchi (wk), Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Andrew Mathieson, Adam Milne, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson
Time: 18:30 local | 17:30 GMT | 23:00 IST
(Sandipan Banerjee is a reporter at CricketCountry. Cricket has been the biggest passion for him since his childhood. So, when it came to choosing his career, he chose to turn his passion into his profession. Apart from cricket he likes mountain trekking, river rafting, and photography. His twitter handle is @im_sandipan)