Richard Mann delivers his verdict on the second Test between England and New Zealand, which begins on Wednesday at the Oval.
Cricket tips: England v New Zealand second Test
3pts Kyle Jamieson over 4.5 wickets in the match at 10/11 (bet365)
2pts Tom Blundell top New Zealand first innings batsman at 15/2 (VirginBet, BetMGM)
The cricket finally takes centre stage again on Wednesday, following a turbulent week which has seen the sport very much front and centre across all media platforms – but very much for the wrong reasons.
England will be shorn of the services of captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson for the second Test at the Oval, the pair getting caught up in a late-night ‘incident’ at a Chelsea nightclub which also involved a Saracens rugby player just hours after the hosts had wrapped up a convincing victory over New Zealand at Lord’s.
In doing so, Stokes and Atkinson at the very least broke the midnight curfew brought in by England’s management following a boozy winter Down Under which saw them lose the Ashes 4-1. Doubts now remain as to whether Stokes will either be sacked as captain or himself choose to step down, with even retirement not off the table.
For now, Joe Root has once again put country first and the Yorkshireman will lead the side in South London on an interim basis, vice-captain Harry Brook not thought a good fit at present given he was roughed up by a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand following his own late-night bender just hours before a ODI against the Kiwis last October.
England will therefore make at least two changes on Wednesday, but not to be outdone, Kane Williamson announced his retirement from international cricket on Friday, just 35 runs short of 10,000 Test runs. He will leave a colossal hole in this New Zealand batting line-up.
Test cricket will certainly be poorer without Williamson. Should Stokes opt to walk the plank, or indeed be pushed, we will have lost two of the modern greats of this format within a matter of weeks. Another reminder of just how quickly things can change in professional sport.
England worthy favourites for the Oval
That’s all for another day. For now, an England win this week would hand them their third series triumph over New Zealand from their last four meetings, with the other series being drawn. Despite all the noise and drama of the last few days, it’s hard to argue with odds-on quotes about the hosts for the Oval.
They were worthy winners at Lord’s, despite losing the toss and having to bat first in grim conditions, and England have a ready-made replacement for Atkinson in Jofra Archer. Stokes is another miss, in theory an even bigger one, but perhaps not as big as Willimson is for the Kiwis.
The important thing to say about the Oval is that we’ve seen a number of dark, green pitches here in the County Championship this season, but in fact, those surfaces have generally played really well and produced big runs.
In four matches so far this summer, we’ve seen two scores in excess of 600, another total of 520, and three more scores above 400. As ever, overheads will dictate, but this is generally a good pitch and one that lasts across third and fourth innings.
Jamieson rates the best bet
At Lord’s, it was all about Nathan Smith for the Kiwis who claimed nine wickets in the match. Annoyingly for this column, six of those came in the second innings, as KYLE JAMIESON won the top New Zealand first innings bowler market.
Jamieson could well repeat the dose at the Oval, on a ground and pitch that has historically suited tall, line bowlers such as Glenn McGrath and Steve Harmison.
The 31-year-old Jamieson fits the bill: a real giant of a man, standing at six foot eight inches, and his tall release point and natural outswinger should keep the Kiwi slip cordon interested throughout, especially if we get cloud cover when he takes the new ball.
While someone like Smith is short and skiddy, and ideally suited to the slow nature of the pitch at Lord’s and the need to attack the stumps, the Oval is very different. Jamieson looks the perfect fit here, as does fellow giant Will O’Rourke.
We don’t yet know whether the back spasm that plagued Matt Henry at Lord’s will rule him out, so I expect Jamieson and O’Rourke to prove the trump cards for New Zealand this week.
As such, I’ll leave the top bowler market alone, much preferring a good bet on JAMIESON TO TAKE OVER 4.5 WICKETS IN THE MATCH at 10/11. That bet would’ve landed at Lord’s, albeit on a poor pitch, and, as I’ve already laid out, I’d expect him to relish conditions at the Oval.
Keep faith with Blundell
With no Williamson to worry about, and the Kiwi top order struggling in general last week, I’ll be going in again on TOM BLUNDELL to be TOP NEW ZEALAND FIRST INNINGS BATSMAN.
Despite a quiet game at Lord’s, Blundell still boasts strong numbers against England in this format, averaging 53.23 from 10 matches thanks to three hundreds and four fifties. And just to further highlight his liking for this part of the world, Blundell made a brilliant 186 against Ireland last month.
With that New Zealand top order looking particularly vulnerable against the new ball, I still want to be with the middle order, and 15/2 about Blundell looks fair enough.
Glenn Phillips played well at Lord’s, opting for aggression over survival, and is an obvious threat again, but Blundell has been here and got the t-shirt when it comes to making big runs in England, so gets the vote.
Posted at 18:35 BST on 14/06/26
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