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England
New Zealand
For the final Test of the series, England and New Zealand will head to Trent Bridge with the contest level at 1-1. England won the opening Test in a low-scoring match where bowlers dominated throughout the game.
Both teams were bowled out in all four innings, and only one innings crossed the 200-run mark. New Zealand responded strongly in the second Test, with their batters producing two centuries and several half-centuries to level the series.
In the last 6 Tests between England and New Zealand, both sides have won 3 matches each. The first two games of this series have also highlighted different strengths.
Englandβs bowlers controlled the first Test, while New Zealandβs batting unit stepped up in the second. With the series on the line, both teams will look for a complete performance. Another competitive Test is expected, with key contributions likely to come from both the batting and bowling departments.
NZ's pace attack has been more consistent throughout the series, with Matt Henry, Nathan Smith and Kyle Jamieson regularly taking wickets and giving their side a strong chance of producing the match's leading wicket-taker.
The betting tip is...
Top Bowler's Team - NZ
71 %
29 %
EnglandNew ZealandEngland produced strong individual performances across the first two Tests. In the first match, Ollie Robinson was named Player of the Match after taking 7 wickets and contributing 29 runs. Harry Brook and Emilio Gay scored half-centuries, while England secured victory in a bowler-dominated contest.
In the second Test, Joe Root captained the side in place of Ben Stokes. Jofra Archer made an impressive return and claimed 5 wickets in each innings. Matthew Fisher also picked up 5 wickets, while Jacob Bethell added 4 wickets.
Englandβs batting unit contributed in patches despite the defeat. Emilio Gay, Matthew Fisher, Joe Root and Harry Brook all registered fifties during the match. The all-round contributions from both the batting and bowling groups helped England stay competitive throughout the game.
Gay, Root and Brook are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, James Rew (wk), Jordan Cox, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker.
New Zealand recovered well after a disappointing batting display in the first Test. In the first innings, six batters scored fewer than 30 runs, with most of the resistance coming from the lower middle order. In the second innings, Devon Conway top-scored with 41 runs from 91 balls at the top of the order, while Glenn Phillips added 44 runs from 52 balls from number eight.
Kyle Jamieson claimed 6 wickets in the first innings, and Nathan Smith picked up 9 wickets in the match. In the second innings, Nathan Smith took another 6 wickets. Matt Henry managed just one wicket in the match.
New Zealand responded strongly in the second Test.
Matt Henry took 11 wickets across both innings and was named Player of the Match. Glenn Phillips and Henry Nicholls scored centuries, while Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell and Daryl Mitchell registered half-centuries.
Conway, Nicholls and Ravindra are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry and Will OβRourke.
The series has been very evenly contested, but New Zealand will enter the final Test with slightly more confidence after their strong performance in the second match. Their batting unit showed improvement with multiple centuries and fifties, while the bowling attack continued to take wickets consistently.
Matt Henry, Nathan Smith and Kyle Jamieson have looked more reliable as a group and could create problems for Englandβs batting lineup.
England have match-winners in both departments, but New Zealand appear to have greater bowling depth heading into this game. We expect New Zealand to edge the key individual bowling performances and also produce one of the leading batters of the match.
