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England and New Zealand meet on Wednesday (June 2) at Lord's. They come into the game with different agendas in mind. For the visitors, the two-match Test series serves as perfect preparation ahead of their World Test Championship (WTC) final against India, while Joe Root and his men have the Ashes in mind.
Playing NZ and India will serve as the perfect practice to iron out their creases before England head down under for some scintillating Ashes action.
That said, some players from both sides take up attention ahead of the clash. The likes of Joe Root, Kane Williamson, James Anderson, and Stuart Broad will be keen to get in the runs and wickets columns to help their sides finish on the winning side.
The tussle provides a chance for some of the best names in cricket to go toe-to-toe and we take a look at some of the key player battles.
#1 Joe Root vs Tim Southee
Southee has sent Joe Root back to the pavilion five times in 20 innings - the most by any Kiwi bowler.
Southee's pace and swing have rattled timber or have had Root edge one to the keeper, making him the perfect bowler to pit the England captain against.
#2 Williamson vs Anderson
England's chances of winning depend on how quickly they send Williamson back to the dugout. Anderson has won six duels against the Kiwi skipper in the 16 times they have faced off. The contest will be between the quick's swing against Williamson's solid technique.
Anderson comes into this Test with a milestone he can reach. He is fourth on the list of the highest wicket-takers in Test cricket history. With 614 scalps from 132 matches, the pacer is just five wickets shy of equalling Anil Kumble's record of 619 wickets in the game's longest format.
#3 Ross Taylor vs Stuart Broad, arguably England's best bowler
Two veterans will battle it out at Lord's and the odds are against Taylor. The New Zealand batsman has been a vital cog in the side, but has been dismissed by Broad 10 times.
The two upcoming Tests, however, provide Taylor with the perfect opportunity to shed the tag of being Broad's bunny.
Broad has enjoyed a good run against NZ with the ball. He's picked up 66 wickets against the side with best figures of 7/44.
Overall, the pacer has 517 wickets and is among the top 10 leading wicket-takers in Tests.
