England vs New Zealand 1st ODI: New Zealand look for a fresh start

Date – 31st May 2013

Time – 3.15 pm (IST)

Alastair Cook would have been satisfied with England’s performance as this was Cook’s first series victory at home. Although he made a mess of the toss in both the Tests, his bowlers were instrumental in England clinching the Test Series 2-0. New Zealand, on the other hand, would be extremely disappointed with their batting performance.

England have been relentless at home. They have the perfect squad for the conditions. They have two high-quality fast bowlers to exploit the swing and two first-class batsmen to tackle the swing. At the right moment, the young players are getting into the groove and they never felt the pressure when the top order failed to contribute in Test series which is a good sign for England. Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy and therefore Jonny Bairstow will hold the key to the middle order.

The first ODI is scheduled at Lord’s. The wicket at Lord’s is expected to assist fast bowlers and therefore Stuart Broad will play an important role for England. England fast bowlers have been at ease at home. However, the batting department hasn’t given their bowlers substantial amount of runs to defend. So, if the batting clicks for England, then they should find no problems in the ODIs.

New Zealand, on the other hand, have been outplayed in the Test series. New Zealand bowlers exploited the conditions perfectly as they swung the ball and kept the England batsmen in check. But apart from Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum, none of the Kiwi batsmen offered resistance to the swinging conditions in England. However, this will be a different scenario. It is a 50-0ver format. Luke Ronchi’s return strengthens the middle order. James Franklin, Martin Guptill and Elliot have delivered the goods for New Zealand in the middle order and McCullum would be hoping that they replicate the same performance in England. Nevertheless, the bowlers will be holding the key for New Zealand. Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell and Kyle Mills have been influential for the Black Caps. The trio has the ability to swing and reverse the ball. So, England’s batting will certainly be tested.

However, England have a good batting line-up and therefore they should come victorious in first ODI at Lord’s.

Pitch and conditions

The wicket at Lord’s is expected to assist fast bowlers. The conditions at Lord’s are chilly and there is possibility of showers around evening. So, toss will play vital role in first ODI at Lord’s.

Team news

Tim Bresnan is expected to play his first ODI after his injuries. Ravi Bopara, Jonny Bairstow and Eoin Morgan are likely to play the first ODI.

New Zealand, on the other hand, have a few injury concerns. Trent Boult is doubtful for the ODI series and Champions Trophy. Despite his injury, New Zealand are likely to go with three seamers as Bracwell will replace Trent Boult.

Watch out for:

England’s pace-attack: Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been sensational with the ball. They have provided vital breakthroughs for England and had the opposition on backfoot. Stuart Broad has picked 152 wickets in 96 ODI matches and Anderson has been the leader of the pace-attack. Broad has also received advice from Anderson on exploiting the swing in England. So, if the duo strikes with the new-ball, then New Zealand would certainly be under trouble.

New Zealand’s batting: New Zealand have failed to perform with the bat in Test series. They were heavily reliant on Brendon McCullum to deliver the goods. But, Luke Ronchi has returned for the ODI series, which brings in the much needed experience in the middle order. However, it all depends on the start provided by the openers. They will have to be watchful against Anderson and Broad for the first few overs. If they openers can provide prolific start, then New Zealand would certainly have their noses ahead.

Quotes

“He’s got to go away, get back into form and score some heavy runs for Somerset. He goes back into a couple of one-day games. Hopefully the one-day games will be good for him. He can go out and enjoy hitting the ball. That will be the catalyst for him going into the first-class game feeling confident.” Coach Andy Flower has backed Cook to perform in ODI Series.

“He’s not looking great. He is still not moving that freely which is a shame because he’s been a revelation for us this season.” McCullum said of Boult’s fitness.