Follow UsAfter recording a five-wicket win against New Zealand at the Home of Cricket, England will set foot at Trent Bridge in Nottingham with an aim to seal the three-match series.
Under the astute leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, England began the new era in a commanding fashion and would look to continue the momentum and crawl up the World Test Championship table.
On the other hand, New Zealand, the current world champions, are in dire need of winning some games and having a chance to retain the mace. With two heavyweights locking horns, it promised to be a high-voltage clash and here are some of the tips you can use to build your fantasy team.
Ground Details and Team Combination
The average first innings total batting first at the venue is around the 320-run mark. However, batting becomes a lot more difficult in the subsequent innings as the average scores in the remaining three innings are around 306, 265 and 158.
Like most venues in England, the pacers have been lethal and scalped 482 out of the 83 wickets, which is almost 82.7 percent of the wickets compared to 101 scalps, which is 17.3 percent. On average, the pacers have scalped 7.5 wickets per innings compared to 1.9 by the spinners.
Suggested Team
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captaincy and Vice-captaincy suggestion
Small Leagues – Joe Root (Captain), Kyle Jamieson (vice-captain)
Grand Leagues – Daryl Mitchell (Captain), Matthew Potts (vice-captain)
Stats that matter
In Test matches since 2017, Joe Root has been the leading run-scorer for the side at this venue, with 288 runs in six innings at an average of 48, including two half-centuries and one hundred.
In the 11 innings, Ben Stokes has been dismissed four times against Tim Southee, which is the most by a New Zealand bowler.
James Anderson has scalped 15 wickets at this venue at an average of 20.1, which is the best among the England bowlers and the second-best overall.
In Tests, Tom Latham has struggled against Stuart Broad and has been dismissed eight times in 16 innings and has an average of 15.1 against him.
Grand League punts
The leading run-scorer at this venue, Root, has to be a captaincy option and is coming into this game in a sublime form after scoring an unbeaten 115 to help England get over the line in the first Test.
After coming into the side as a replacement for Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell etched his name in the record books by scoring a hundred at Lord's. The right-handed batter will be the key player for the Black Caps in this must-win encounter.
With four wickets in the second innings, Kyle Jamieson is the in-form seamer and will shoulder the responsibility of the side along with Trent Boult and Southee.
One of the stars for England with the ball in the first Test, Matthew Potts, is expected to play a crucial role for England in conditions conducive to fast bowlers. Having him on your team for the Test match will be beneficial.
Predicted XI
England XI: Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes (wk), Matthew Potts, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Matt Parkinson
New Zealand XI: Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson (c), Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Ajaz Patel