England vs New Zealand Preview, ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Hosts ENG eye semi-finals berth

If England wins, they qualify directly, and New Zealand will not only have to beat Bangladesh, but hope hosts continue their winning run against Australia

Published: June 6, 2017 10:46 AM IST

By Aamir Salati

England vs New Zealand Preview, ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Hosts ENG eye semi-finals berth

Hosts England will be keen to book their place in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 semi-finals as they face New Zealand at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. A win against Kiwis will make sure England qualify for the next round.

Things in Group A have started to heat up. All four teams are still contention for the semis spot thanks to two washouts. Interestingly, Australia were involved in both the abandoned matches. While Australia got away against Kiwis which captain Steven Smith accepted as well, against Bangladesh the team was all set for a win before heavens opened up. Also Check- ICC Champions Trophy 2017 Points Table

The equation is such that all four teams have a chance to progress. However, it is England who are placed comfortably and have the fortune in their own hands.

It is expected to rain during the match in Cardiff, and thus there is a possibility of short game. In case no play is possible teams will share points and that further opens up the group. If both England and New Zealand take one point each from this fixture, then we will have two virtual quarter-finals; England vs Australia and New Zealand vs Bangladesh.

If England wins, they qualify directly, and New Zealand will not only have to beat Bangladesh, but hope hosts continue their winning run against Australia. Also Catch- ENG vs NZ LIVE Score

England will miss the services of Chris Woakes, who was ruled out of the tournament. Steve Finn was called in as his replacement and is expected to feature in the playing XI. Another contender for a place in the XI is David Willey. It will be interesting to see whether England continue to bench Adil Rashid or not.

On the other hand, New Zealand looks like will go unchanged. But chances are Tom Latham could be slotted in as an extra batsman in place of all-rounder duo- Corey Anderson or James Neesham.

Teams:

New Zealand (From): Martin Guptill, Luke Ronchi(w), Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Neil Broom, James Neesham, Corey Anderson, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jeetan Patel.

England (From): Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Steven Finn, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Jake Ball, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Adil Rashid, David Willey.

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