The pressure is back on England again as they try and secure a place in the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup. After a wonderful victory against India to boost their chances of finishing in the top four of the round robins, a win against New Zealand on Wednesday will guarantee that they get their desired finish. A loss and they will be nervously awaiting the result of Pakistan v Bangladesh the following day.
England v New Zealand Odds*
England 2/5
New Zealand 2/1
* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on July 2nd, 2019 at 3:34 pm)
Can England deliver?
England were fantastic against India over the weekend in a must-win match. After back to back defeats in the tournament, England had heaped pressure on themselves. But they returned to top form, helped along by the return of Jason Roy to stabilize the opening batting line up and took in the end, what was a convincing win. They were better with the ball and in the field than they had been in the previous couple of matches.
So now it’s on to another big, high-pressure game as they take on New Zealand. If England get maximum points they will guarantee themselves a place in the top four. If they lose, then they could still be caught by Pakistan. So England need to tap back into all the positives that they performed with against India. Roy certainly made a difference to the whole side and is at 3/1 to top score for England in this one* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on July 2nd, 2019 at 3:34 pm). Another notable difference was the re-inclusion of Liam Plunkett who is so valuable in the middle of the match with the ball in hand.
Head to Head
New Zealand and England met for a five-match ODI series last year in New Zealand. England came away with a tight 3-2 series success. England have won six of the last eight meetings between the two of them. Among that sequence of games was a meeting at Chester-le-Street where this World Cup fixture is being held. England won that meeting by three wickets in 2015. That is their only meeting there in the last decade.
New Zealand a danger
The Kiwis went undefeated through the first six rounds of action. They used the advantage of playing some of their easier games at the start of the tournament. That gave them a good chance to settle down and get themselves into gear. Their first loss of the tournament came when they faced Pakistan at Edgbaston on a slower pitch. They couldn’t really make inroads against with either bat or ball on the track. Then in their next match, they struggled badly to in response to trying to chase a 244 total set by Australia against them at Lords. New Zealand managed just the 157 in response.
So they have clearly lost a little bit of momentum but they are a dangerous team on their day and can’t be taken lightly. The conditions at the Riverside Ground, where the New Zealand swing bowling will be a huge factor, is going to suit them. They need to win to guarantee themselves a top-four finish in the table as well. So this is a massive game for them too. Lockie Ferguson is the tournament’s second-highest wicket taker with 17. Ferguson is at 3/1 to be New Zealand’s top bowler* (betting odds taken from Bet365 on July 2nd, 2019 at 3:34 pm).
England v New Zealand Prediction
England looked to be far better side with their team selection against India. It was them getting back to what has helped them become such a dominant force in the format. They have to ride that positive wave now and close out the deal. The conditions at the Riverside will help New Zealand, but England can deliver the win.
