Recent match-ups between the teams have been run-fests, and both will aim for more of the same
Match: England v New Zealand
Group: Group A
Date: Tuesday, June 6
Venue: The SSE SWALEC, Cardiff
Head2Head in ODIs:
New Zealand leads the overall head-to-head against England 41 to 36, with two matches tied and four with no result. England, though, has won the majority of the games at home, 15 to 12.
Greatest ODI encounter:
The first of their 2015 five-match ODI series at Edgbaston on June 9 was a scintillating encounter. Put in, England was immediately under pressure as Trent Boult dismissed Jason Roy off the first delivery of the match and it lost both openers within the first ten overs. Joe Root (104 off 78) and Eoin Morgan (50) then stitched up a steady partnership of 121 for the third wicket, building a strong platform.
England lost a few middle-order wickets in quick succession, but maintained a run-rate of over six thanks to Jos Buttler. The pair of Buttler and Adil Rashid (69) upped the ante in the death overs and boosted England’s total to over 400 for the very first time in ODIs.
Backed by a massive score of 408 for 9, the English bowlers were under no pressure as they easily bowled out New Zealand for 198 in 31.1 overs to register a 210-run win, their largest victory margin by runs in one-day cricket. Steven Finn and Rashid took the honours with four wickets a piece, but the player of the match was Buttler for his flamboyant 129 of 105 balls (13x4, 2x6).
Previous Champions Trophy encounters:
Cardiff, June 16, 2013
England won by 10 runs
PoM: Alastair Cook
In this rain-affected encounter, England was put in to bat. Thanks to Alastair Cook’s 64, England amassed 169 runs in 24 overs, which, in the end, proved ten runs too much for New Zealand despite Kane Williamson’s 54-ball 67.
Johannesburg, September 29, 2009
New Zealand won by four wickets
PoM: Grant Elliott
Put in, England succumbed to the pace bowling of Shane Bond (3-21) and Grant Elliott (4-31), and posted only 146 runs in 43.1 overs. New Zealand’s openers cut down most of the chase, and made it easy for the rest of the batsmen to complete the chase in 27.1 overs despite a collapse triggered by Stuart Broad (4-39).
Key players for each side:
After a disappointing 2015 World Cup, England put together a refreshed side. Since then, the team has been largely successful, especially in home conditions. One of the primary reasons for this is the balance it has found as a team. Chris Woakes may not be well known as an all-rounder. But, his batting stints and wonderful bowling performances recently have helped England’s case immensely. New Zealand will have to watch out for Woakes during both innings, since he has the ability to turn the game around with both bat and ball.
New Zealand’s batting line-up consists of many renowned batsmen. In the recent past, one of the most dynamic of them has been Martin Guptill. On his day, Guptill’s batting can blow away any opposition – think his double-century during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. With his range of shots and immense power, he can definitely put England’s bowlers under pressure.
Key facts:
In terms of Champions Trophies, both teams are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head.
Martin Guptill averages 70.55 against England with a strike-rate of 98.14. His highest score against England is 189*.
Tim Southee has 31 wickets against England at an average of 22.06, which is the most amongst the current squad.
England’s highest score against New Zealand is 408, which made in Birmingham in 2015 was its highest ever in the format until it made 444 against Pakistan in August 2016.
The teams’ five-match ODI series in 2015 had 3151 runs scored, the most in a series of five or fewer games.
Best at Champions Trophy:
England: Runners-up 2004 and 2013
New Zealand: Winners 2000
England play New Zealand in Group A of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 on Tuesday, June 6 at Cardiff. The ticket ballot is open until 8pm and you can apply for tickets by clicking here or by going to www.icc-cricket.com/tickets.