NZ tour of ENG 2023 

ENG vs NZ, 4rth ODI

Preview 

England took a 2-1 lead in the four match ODI Series against the Black Caps with a resounding 181 run victory at the Kennington Oval in the third ODI, thanks to Ben Stokes’ sparkling knock and a clinical bowling display. After losing the series opener, England’s readiness in the format was in doubt, but they have now put those uncertainties to rest. The defending world champions will now be raring to make it 3-1 at Lord’s on Friday. Meanwhile, the Kiwis have looked good in patches, but seem to be struggling to click as a batting unit overall. 

Ben Stokes scripted history with his scintillating knock in the third fixture. The all rounder scored 182 off 124 balls in just his third appearance since his return. He now holds the record for the highest individual score by an English batter in ODIs. He alongside Dawid Malan put on a 199 run third wicket stand and provided a perfect launch pad for the likes of Jos Butler, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone. Earlier in the day, ace NZ pacer Trent Boult picked early wickets of Johnny Bairstow and Joe Root. He finished strongly as he claimed the final wicket to complete his fifer. 

England went on to post a mammoth total of 368 before bundling out NZ for a lowly 187. 

With Stokes in form, England’s batting prowess now looks menacing. Dawid Malan who scored a classy 95 in the previous game is also getting into his groove. They possess the pair of Butler and Livingstone in the middle order, who can easily take on any bowling attack when on song. Butler has blasted 513 runs in his last 10 matches at an average of 57 and at a strike rate of almost 110. 

Johnny Bairstow has had a quiet outing thus far but don’t write him off yet. He is a quality player who probably needs only one good innings to return back to his very best. We are backing him to do well in this tie. 

England’s bowling department looks pretty settled with Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid in the mix.  With 5 wickets to his name, Topley is the leading wicket taker for the hosts in this series. Chris Woakes had a good game on Wednesday as he finished the game with impressive match figures of 3/31. 

New Zealand suffered a massive 181 run loss in their last meeting against the Three Lions . A target of 369 was always going to be intimidating. New Zealand’s run chase began feebly, and they were reduced to 70-5 at one stage. Glenn Phillips (72) tried to revive the faltering innings but unfortunately couldn’t change much as the Kiwis were bowled out for 187. 

Match Details

Match: ENG vs NZ, 4th ODI, New Zealand tour of England, 2023

Date: Friday, September 15, 2023

Time: 5:00 PM

Venue: Lord's, London


Pitch and Weather Report

Lord’s generally offers a balanced pitch, assisting both batters and bowlers. Pace bowlers can extract movement and bounce from the wicket in the initial overs. The surface tends to ease out in the middle overs, favouring batters. 

The weather will be partly sunny and pleasant. 

ENG vs NZ Squads

ENG: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley, Harry Brook, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Jason Roy 

NZ: Will Young, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Lister, Trent Boult, Finn Allen, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee 

ENG vs NZ Probable Playing XIs

ENG: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley

NZ: Will Young, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, Ben Lister, Trent Boult

Match Prediction

Both England and New Zealand have played some good all round cricket in the series so far. While the reigning world champions have looked the stronger side on paper, the visitors haven’t done much wrong themselves. They have gone toe to toe with arguably one of the formidable limited overs teams. We predict the hosts to emerge victorious and win the series 3-1. 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket