England v New Zealand 1st Test – 02/06/2021

England v New Zealand 1st Test Preview – Betting Tips, Latest Odds, Predictions – 02/06/2021

England start a busy summer programme with the first of two Test matches against New Zealand.

The visitors will be keen to build confidence ahead of the World Test Championship final against India.

Discover our free cricket betting tips for this match.

England v New Zealand 1st Test – Match Preview

England head here after suffering a tough time in unfamiliar conditions in India. They will be keen to bounce back now return to home soil and with a busy summer ahead of them.

New Zealand continue to rise up the rankings and will be looking for a confidence-boosting win with the World Test Championship final on the horizon.

Where: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, England

When: Wednesday, 2 February 2021

Start time: 15:30 IST (10:00 GMT)

Pitch conditions: Once again it will be a mix of seam and swing bowling that will cause the biggest problems for the batsmen here. The surface should be good for batting if they can see off that initial movement.

Weather conditions: Temperatures could pick up heading into this clash but there is still a chance of mixed weather or the occasional rain shower. We will bring you a fuller picture closer to the start date.

England v New Zealand 1st Test – Latest Odds

England are the favourites to win the 1st test. They can be backed at 1.83 with bet365.

New Zealand are priced at 3.1 with the same betting site. The draw is available at 5.0.

England v New Zealand 1st Test – Team News

• Ben Foakes – The wicketkeeper was excellent in India but misses out on his first Test cap on home soil after picking up an injury.
• Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer – Both men will miss this series. All-rounder Stokes broke a finger when in IPL action and Archer has an ongoing elbow problem.
• James Anderson – The bowler is England’s top wicket-taker at Lord’s and will be keen to chalk up even more in this clash. It will be interesting to see if England persists with rotating him and Stuart Broad.
• Olly Robinson and James Bracey – Seamer Robinson and wicketkeeper-batsman Bracey have been handed debut call-ups for this match. Both made good starts to the County Championship season.
• Kane Williamson – The New Zealand skipper was in fine form earlier in the year and showed signs of returning to that with some eye-catching showings in the IPL recently. He will be crucial again.
• Kyle Jamieson – The tall pacer could have some joy at Lord’s, especially from the Pavilion End. It will be interesting to see how he does heading into the World Test Championship final.

England v New Zealand 1st Test – Betting Tips and Predictions

This could be a lot closer than the odds suggest, especially if England use the match to take a look at a few new faces.

They may have more options than expected given the suspension of the IPL but they could still hand others an opportunity.

New Zealand Offer Value

This will be the first time New Zealand have played at Lord’s since that exceptionally close World Cup final.

However, they are in fine spirits as a Test team at present having won nine of their last 11 Test series.

They are up to second in the world rankings and have a World Test Championship trophy in their sights.

England struggled against India and could also chop and change their line-up.

It means New Zealand’s price of 3.1 with bet365 is far too big given they also possess a bowling attack that should be suited to conditions at Lord’s.

Back Boult to Shine for the Visitors

Trent Boult has an impressive record in English conditions and will relish a return to Lord’s.

The left-arm seamer has 47 wickets to his name in just 19 matches across all formats in England. In Test matches he boasts two five-fors in four matches.

He can get the ball moving with the help of the famous Lord’s slope and looks a good bet in the top New Zealand first innings bowler market.

He is priced at 3.5 with bet365 to be his team’s top wicket-taker.

New Zealand to have Highest Opening Partnership

One big question to come out of that India series for England was the form of their openers.

Dom Sibley, Rory Burns and Zak Crawley all struggled and are under pressure to bounce back.

Sibley might miss this match through injury but Burns and Crawley could be handed more time in the middle.

That lack of form and time as a pairing could be exploited by Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee here.

Even if Sibley does make it, he is another that has been out of form and will be vulnerable to the ball coming back into him on the Lord’s slope.

New Zealand’s openers, Tom Latham and Tom Blundell, may not have been able to find consistency but they have both had good moments, including their 2nd innings century stand against Pakistan at the start of the year.

Brundell has also enjoyed big runs recently for Wellington. Backing the Black Caps to have the highest opening partnership looks a decent bet at  1.85 with 1xBet.

Read our round-up of the best cricket betting tips for this clash.