Indian fans will be keeping a close watch on the upcoming test series between England and New Zealand. The Kiwis will travel to England in a few days and go through a quarantine process before preparing for a two match test series in England. Indian fans will be interested in this series because after the two tests, India will face New Zealand for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) trophy on 18 June.
India will then stay on in England for a long tour that includes five test matches starting in August and ending in September. If you are keen on betting on the India vs. England test series and the WTC, go ahead and register at any of the betting sites listed below.
England vs. New Zealand – Betting Odds
New Zealand are definitely going to have an edge over India during the WTC as they get to play two test matches against England in England and will be better prepared. However, if the Kiwis play poorly and lose both test matches, it is not going to help their confidence going into the WTC. Team India will also be watching closely to see what weaknesses they can exploit.
Sportsbooks have England as the favorite which does not come as a surprise as England are a very strong team playing at home. England has betting odds of 1.83 while the Kiwis have odds of 3.10. The odds of a draw are currently at 5.00. The first test will start on June 02 and finish on 06 June at the Lords Cricket Ground.
Our cricket experts expect this to be closely contested test match as England is not expected to field a full strength team for this series and that might level the playing field for the Kiwis.
England – Team Overview
England are not going to play their usual test squad against the Kiwis as the England director of cricket Ashley Giles has hinted that they will not rush players who returned from the 2021 IPL back into the first test.
Some of the most experienced players including Jos Butler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Jonny Bairstow have just returned from the 2021 IPL which was suspended mid-way. Vice-captain Ben Stokes is also expected to miss this series due to injury.
Giles has stated that England will likely introduce a number of new faces during the Kiwi series. One of the reasons England do not want to rush these experienced players back in is because they want them to be fit and available for the 5 match test series against India and then prepare for The Ashes which will take place towards the end of 2021 down under.
Some of the new faces likely to make an appearance against the Kiwis include Ben Foakes, James Bracey and Ollie Robinson who have never played test cricket.
New Zealand – Team Overview
New Zealand are sending a strong squad over to England as they want to beat England in England and then go on to beat India and become the inaugural WTC champions. Kane Williamson will captain the side and have a number of experienced players to call on in both the batting and bowling departments.
Trent Boult and Time Southee can definitely match James Anderson and Stuart Broad. The Kiwis might have the edge in the bowling department as they have Neil Wagner, Matt Henry and Kylie Jamieson to call upon. The batting looks good with Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls and the gritty wicket-keeper batsman BJ Watling.
Verdict: While England are the favorites to win here we are going to back the Kiwis to win the first test as England will not be fielding their best playing XI.
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