New Zealand and England will face each other in the third and last Test match of the series. The match will take place on 14th December at Seddon Park.
Match Preview:
New Zealand will look to bounce back in the last game of the series to end their year on high and to give Tim Southee a befitting farewell.
Earlier, against India, New Zealand rewrote history as they whitewashed India in India for the very first time in history. And it was expected that the Black Caps would replicate this form when they faced England in more familiar conditions.
However, it wasn’t the case when England and New Zealand faced each other. In Christchurch, the campaign was undermined by dropped catches, and in Wellington, a hesitant approach denied New Zealand to win the game.
Nevertheless, in the upcoming match, the Black Caps will look to win the game as this match will be the last one for Tim Southee. All eyes will be on the Pacers too as fans and neutrals alike would hope that the bidding legend ends on a high note. So far, in this series, the pacer’s performance has been underwhelming as he failed to make an impact with the bowl and bat.
However, there is an air of sentiment as he prepares to play his final match at his home ground, Seddon Park, where the Pavilion End has been renamed the Tim Southee End for the occasion. So, Southee will look to make an impact.
Will Young will be making his comeback too who was the player of the series for New Zealand against India as Devon Conway won’t be featuring in the last test of the series because of the birth of the first child.
Talking about England, they have secured the series after losing a Test series from Pakistan. Still, England will look to end their year on a high note and keep the momentum going.
The last game will provide an opportunity for the likes of Zak Crawley to make the mark since his recent performances weren’t so good. Chris Woakes and Jacob Bethell will try to make the best of this provided opportunity to solidify their position in the Test team.
For New Zealand, it’s a chance to salvage pride and honor a retiring great. For England, it’s an opportunity to maintain momentum and continue building for the future.
Playing XI:
New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Mitchell Santner/Nathan Smith, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O’Rourke
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (wk), 7 Ben Stokes (capt), 8 Gus Atkinson, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 Matt Potts, 11 Shoaib Bashir
Pitch and weather conditions:
The pitch at Seddon Park started green after being under covers due to rain earlier in the week, which also disrupted New Zealand’s training. However, sunny skies on Friday and a warm weekend forecast are expected to dry it out.
Fast bowlers can make an impact early on but once the pitch flattens out the match is expected to be run-fest. The average first innings total at the venue in all Test matches since late 2019 has amounted to 379. The captain who wins the toss may choose to bat first.
Head-to-head record:
In their 114-match history, England have held the upper hand, winning 54 encounters. New Zealand, on the other hand, has emerged victorious on 13 occasions. A significant number of matches—47 to be exact—have ended in a draw.
Prediction:
New Zealand is supposed to make a comeback and win the last Test match of the series.
Where to Watch:
New Zealand: TVNZ
Pakistan: Tapmad
UK: TNT sports, Discovery+
India: Amazon Prime
South Africa: Super Sports Cricket
US: Willow TV
