ENG vs NZ Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing 11, Pitch Report and Injury Updates For 1st Test

Preview:

England and New Zealand will play the first Test of the three-match series on June 2 (Thursday). New Zealand traveled to England last year as well to play a two-match Test series which also started on June 2. New Zealand won that series by a 1-0 margin and followed it up by winning the World Test Championship final against India. They last played a two-match series against South Africa which ended in a draw.

England has a new captain and a new coach in the form of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. They would be hoping for a much different result out of this series. England lost the Ashes by 4-0 margin and then lost the Test series in West Indies by 1-0 margin, which marked the end of Joe Root’s captaincy career. England has already announced their playing 11 and both James Anderson and Stuart Broad are going to make a comeback. Also, Matthew Pots, a pacer who plays for Durham in County Cricket would be making his debut.

Match Details:

England vs New Zealand, 1st Test

Venue: Lord’s, London.

Date & Time: 2nd June at 3:30 PM IST and 11:00 AM Local Time

Live Streaming: SonyLiv

ENG vs NZ, 1st Test Pitch Report:

The pitch would be providing a little support to both the bowlers and batters. Pacers would enjoy bowling here in the initial few days, hence, the team winning the toss might look to bowl.

Injury News:

(will be added when there is an update)

Also Read: England announce XI for Lord’s Test, Stuart Broad and James Anderson included

ENG vs NZ, 1st Test Probable Playing XIs:

England

Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, James Anderson, Stuart Broad.

New Zealand

Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Will Young, Henry Nicholls/Michael Bracewell, Tom Blundell (wk), Colin de Grandhomme/Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Matt Henry/Trent Boult, Neil Wagner.

Twitter Reactions: Joe Root bails England out of trouble as New Zealand lose momentum

England

Twitter reactions: Kyle Mayers, Shamarh Brooks' centuries guide West Indies to ODI series whitewash

Twitter Reactions

Top Picks for ENG vs NZ Dream11 Match:

Top Picks – Batters

Joe Root:

He has been one of the best Test batters for England in recent times. Although England lost the last series against the West Indies, Root made 289 runs in 6 innings at an average of 48.17 and was the leading run-scorer for England. He was also the leading run-scorer for England in the Ashes.

Devon Conway:

His Test career will come to a full circle as he will step onto the field for New Zealand in this match. Conway made his Test debut against England on June 2 last year and scored a double-century and became only the second Kiwi batter to achieve this feat.

Top Picks – All-Rounders

Ben Stokes:

He would be making his captaincy debut for England in Test cricket. He made 284 runs in 3 matches for Durham in County Cricket at an average of 56.80 including one century and one half-century. In the last game against Middlesex, Stokes picked a four-wicket haul in the first innings.

Colin de Grandhomme:

He was the leading run-scorer for New Zealand in the last Test series against South Africa. He made 183 runs in 3 innings at an average of 91.50. De Grandhomme would again be hoping to deliver a similar performance in this series with both the bat and the ball.

Top Picks – Bowlers

James Anderson:

He was written off after the Ashes and was dropped from the English side for the series against West Indies. However, he has not given up yet and is likely to make a strong comeback in this game. Anderson took 12 wickets in 4 matches in County Cricket this year at an average of 22.83.

Kyle Jamieson:

He has been one of the most successful bowlers for New Zealand in Test cricket in recent times. He made his Test debut in February 2020 and has taken 66 wickets in 14 Test matches.

Top Picks – Wicketkeeper

Jonny Bairstow:

He has made 380 runs in four Test matches this year at an average of 54.28 including 2 centuries. Bairstow made a century in the first innings of the fourth Ashes Test in Sydney and helped England draw the game. He also made a century in the first Test against West Indies and would be playing a key role in the middle-order.

ENG vs NZ Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for ENG vs NZ Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes, Tom Blundell, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Joe Root (C), Devon Conway (VC), Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for ENG vs NZ Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:

Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson (VC), Tom Latham, Joe Root, Devon Conway, Ben Stokes (C), Colin de Gradhomme, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Southee, Jack Leach.

ENG vs NZ Risky Captaincy Choices:

Tom Latham:

He made 252 runs in the second Test against Bangladesh at the start of the year and helped the team win that game by an innings and 117 runs. Latham won the Player of the Match award for this performance. He has led the New Zealand team very well in the absence of Kane Williamson, however, has not been able to do much in his last 3 Test innings.

Stuart Broad:

He will be playing his first Test match in January 2022. In this season of County Cricket, Broad has taken 11 wickets in 3 matches. He is the second-highest wicket-taker at the Lord’s Cricket Ground and is just 5 wickets short from becoming the second bowler to pick 100 wickets at this venue.

Player you should avoid:

Trent Boult:

He played the final of the IPL for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans on May 29 (Sunday). Hence, might not make it to the final playing 11 for this game.

Note: Updated Fantasy teams and Playing XIs of every match will be provided on our Telegram channel if the information is available.

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.