It’s a new look England these days, virtually unrecognizable from the outfit that was so badly humiliated in the recent World Cup in Australia. Gone are the oldies – no more James Anderson, no more Stuart Broad, or for that matter Ian Bell. We have a completely new look team led by Captain Eoin Morgan, who has rediscovered the form that made him England’s most formidable One Day International and T20 player.
Ben Stokes, Jos Butler and Joe Root are the stars of the rival and it does seem that the future of English cricket is safe with the youngsters taking charge. True, New Zealand have been the better side, and deserve to 2-1 ahead, as we go into the fourth match of the series. But the way England have played has been heartwarming to many, and made English cricket fun again.
The negativity that surrounded this England team is today a thing of the past. Even their losses are exciting and fun for their supporters, because clearly, win or lose, the young England players give it their all, match after match. This is nothing something you could say about the experienced pros – Anderson, Broad and Bell – who seemed rather exhausted after years of international cricket.
We expect a full capacity crowd at Trent Bridge on Wednesday to cheer England on. Cricket is back in fashion in England because of Captain Morgan and his team of swashbuckling buccaneers. Whether England win or not, they are guaranteed a great entertainment, provided the rains stay away.
Amid all the hype and hoopla surrounding the new England team, New Zealand have quietly gone about their task, as the matching winning knocks by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor that won them the last match at Rose Bowl, after chasing down a 300 plus score quite comfortably proves so well.
New Zealand are a special team, and they have proved in this series that it was no fluke that they made it to the finals of the World Cup. In Brendon McCullum, New Zealand have the best captain in world cricket and the confidence is there for all to see. They are a special team that continues to produce new stars. Young all-rounder Mitchell Santner already looks like a special prospect for the future. The bowling is led by Tim Southee and Trent Boult and supported by young Mark Henry and Ben Wheeler.
A win for the Kiwis tomorrow will put them in an unbeatable 3-1 lead. And that’s exactly what we expect to happen. England will play entertaining cricket, but the Kiwis are just a bit better than them at this stage.
The Teams
England: 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Billings, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 David Willey, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Steven Finn
New Zealand: 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Ben Wheeler, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan
Match Conditions
Trent Bridge is expected to provide a perfect batting wicket. We expect a warm and sunny day with possible showers late in the evening. Should get a full game, hopefully.
Watch England take on New Zealand live on Star Sports at 5:30 PM on Wednesday.
