CHESTER-LE-STREET: As the group stage of the World Cup edged
closer to wrapping up, hosts England take on New Zealand in a bid to
cement their place in the semifinals at The Riverside in Durham today.
For England, the return of opener Jason Roy proved to be a turning point as they handed India their first defeat of the tournament on Sunday to get back in the race for a place in the final four.
Not only did Roy destructive for England, his 160-run stand with Jonny Bairstow, aided by Ben Stokes 79, turned things around for the hosts, helping them place a massive 337 runs target for the Indians to chase.
On the other hand, New Zealand who were on an unbeaten streak in the tournament, met their match when they faced Pakistan and Australia, losing the games by six wickets and 86 runs respectively.
While the Kiwi bowlers have delivered below-par performances, skipper Kane Williamson has been quietly delivering just enough to keep the team in contention in the tournament.
Williamson has amassed 454 runs, averaging a tournament-best of 113.50 among batsmen who have scored at least 200 runs at this year’s World Cup.
Opener Martin Guptill, the leading run-scorer at the 2015 World Cup, has also struggled throughout the tournament with veteran batsman Ross Taylor not managing to convert either of his two half-centuries into a big score.
With a win over New Zealand, England can seal their spot in the semi-finals and keep Pakistan out of contention for a place in the final four.
The match between England and New Zealand will start at 2:30pm Pakistan Standard Time.
Weather Conditions in Durham
According to the forecast, the weather is expected to be partly cloudy.
England-New Zealand Cricket World Cup stats
Head to head matches: 8
ENG won: 3
NZ won: 5
Highest score: 322/6 in a 60-over innings by England in 1983
Lowest score: 123/10 in a 50-over innings by England in 2015
Squads
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (w), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (w), Tom Blundell (w), Mitchell Santner, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Colin Munro, Ish Sodhi, Henry Nicholls, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Jimmy Neesham
