New Zealand vs England 1st Test tips
The England Test team are back in action on Wednesday as they get their tour of New Zealand underway in the first Test at Christchurch (10pm, TNT Sports and Discovery+ app).
After the disappointing series defeat in Pakistan last month, Ben Stokes’ side are need of a confidence boost having seen their hopes of competing for the World Test Championship ended as a result of their loss in the sub-contintent.
New Zealand, on the other hand, have blown the race for the World Test Championship final wide open after a sensational series victory in India, sweeping Rohit Sharma’s men aside in a 3-0 triumph.
After such a poignant victory, the Black Caps are priced at 10/11 with betting sites to start the series with a win, although England are not massive underdogs at 5/4 even with last minute changes to their side.
New Zealand vs England 1st Test prediction: Root and Duckett to find the boundary
England have been forced to scramble with their line-up in the days before the 1st Test.
Wicketkeeper Jordan Cox was ruled out of the series after suffering a broken thumb. Cox was deputising for the absent Jamie Smith, who will miss the series for paternity leave.
As a result, Ollie Pope, who normally bats at three, will take the gloves and drop down the order which might be a blessing for the 26-year-old who struggled in Pakistan and scored just 55 runs in six innings.
Warwickshire left-hander Jacob Bethell will bat at three on his Test debut, after impressing for the recent T20 and ODI sides, where he scored three half-centuries while in the Caribbean, although he has yet to score a first-class hundred.
The home side have the bonus of being able to call on Kane Williamson, after he recovered from the groin injury that ruled him out of the series in India.
The last series between the two sides in New Zealand ended all square at one apiece in February 2023. England won the first match by 267 runs before losing the second by one run in controversial circumstances.
England enter the series with question marks over some of their batters, but one player that is out to cement his legacy ahead of a huge year is Joe Root.
If Root needed an added incentive in what will be his 150th Test match, former Australia and Yorkshire batter Darren Lehmann said he didn’t believe the England batsman was an “all-time great” despite sitting fifth on the list of all-time leading run scorers with 12,754 runs.
Odds of 5/1 are availabled for Root to top score for England in the first innings with cricket betting sites, although another bet has caught our eye.
Root along with Ben Duckett were two of the standout batters for England in Pakistan. Both found the boundary with little difficult, and with England’s ‘Bazball’ tendencies with expect them to be targeting the fence in New Zealand.
We like a price of 19/10 with William Hill on #YourOdds for Root and Duckett to score over three fours each in England’s first innings.
New Zealand vs England 1st Test prediction: Joe Root and Ben Duckett over three fours in the first innings - 19/10 William Hill
New Zealand vs England 1st Test tips: Brook to shine in NZ again
Harry Brook has already shown what he can do in New Zealand, scoring 329 runs in only four innings in his first tour of the country in 2023.
He scored 89 and 54 in the first Test to be named player of the match as England charged to a dominant win before he notched an outstanding 189 from 176 deliveries in the second Test.
His dismissal for a golden duck in the second innings loomed large as the tourists failed to close out a series victory, but he was still named player of the series.
It has been quite a year for the 25-year-old who captained the England ODI side last summer, and he currently has 702 Test runs from the nine matches, with the majority coming in his incredible knock of 317 against Pakistan at Multan.
Brook is slowly becoming the key cog in the England middle order alongside his fellow Yorkshireman Root as the engine room of the batting ranks.
Stokes’ side tend to be successful when Brook shines, and we like the odds on betting apps for the right-hander to take charge of the contest to get off to a strong start in the series.
New Zealand vs England 1st Test predictions 2: Harry Brook to be named player of the match - 10/1 William Hill
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