Hosts England set to take on New Zealand in a Group A contest of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 cricket tournament at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on June 6. Going by the past records, England hold an edge over New Zealand. Kiwis have faced England nine times earlier in the past four years and Eoin Morgan-led side leading the head-to-head tally by winning 5 games. New Zealand have won 4.
This is a must win game for both the teams as they would be looking to confirm their semi-final berth. England would like defeat Kiwis to register their second successive win in the tournament. They earlier thrashed Bangladesh by eight wickets chasing 306 runs with 16 balls to spare. While New Zealand will aim for two full points as their earlier match with Australia washed off due to rain and they were forced to share a point with Kangaroos.
Key Players:
ENGLAND
With presence of Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Alex Hale in batting line-up and likes of Ben Stokes as the all-rounder, England side could prove lethal against the New Zealand. There is one major concern for the hosts as all-rounder Chris Woakes has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury after bowling just two overs against Bangladesh.
Good touch for a big man, @finnysteve _ #EngvNZ Tickets: https://t.co/aTrF6DYASK #CT17 pic.twitter.com/aIFkYwIx9t
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 5, 2017
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand batting line-up is full of power-hitters. Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Corey Anderson can easily turn the match around in team’s favour. With presence of Mitchell Santner, Mitchell McClenaghan, the New Zealand bowling also seemed to be impressive.
_ WATCH a pair of Kiwi all-rounders provide some insight into contributing with both bat and ball! __ #ENGvNZ #CT17 pic.twitter.com/gxrpLpuVsY
— ICC (@ICC) June 6, 2017
All in all this battle is going to be exciting.
Teams:
England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Alex Hales, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Steven Finn.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Jeetan Patel, Luke Ronchi (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
NZ v England. Both teams will throw the kitchen sink at it with aggressive cricket! 2 fine captains/men on show today. May the best team win
— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) June 6, 2017
Good news! Blue skies in Cardiff! _ #ENGvNZ #CT17 pic.twitter.com/fCpCiYIngd
— ICC (@ICC) June 6, 2017
