Under-fire England without Stokes, Atkinson and Robinson for second Test at the Oval
England v New Zealand | 2nd Test | Wednesday 17th to Sunday 21st June | Kennington Oval, London | 12:00pm
This is a three-match series. England are currently 1-0 up after winning the opener at Lords.
The series opener feels like a long time ago, especially given all the drama that has happened in the intervening period… Skipper Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been dropped after they broke curfew following the First test victory and got themselves involved in a fracas with a rugby player. Former skipper Joe Root will take over the leadership while the disgraced duo return to county duty.
New Zealand legend Kane Williamson also chose the gap between Tests to announce his immediate retirement from international cricket. Asked about the timing he said: “It just feels like the right time.” Williamson has been replaced in the Kiwi squad by Will Young.
New Zealand opening batsman Devon Conway has not been with the team since the end of the first Test. He returned home following the Lord’s match for the birth of his child. He is due back in London in time for the second Test.
England’s first Test hero Ollie Robinson will miss the second Test due to a knee injury. Uncapped Henry Crocombe, who is Robinson’s teammate at Sussex, has been called up as a replacement.
England are the fourth ranked Test team in the world while New Zealand is fifth.
Harry Brook and Joe Root are the first and third ranked Test batsmen in the world. New Zealand’s highest ranked batsman (following the departure of Kane Williamson) is 13th placed Rachin Ravindra.
New Zealand may have lost the opening game of the series, but it should be noted that the pitch was deemed below standard by the Match Referee.
Venue: The Kennington Oval, London
New Zealand have played nine previous Tests at the Oval; they have won just once and drawn and lost four times.
England have a solid record at The Oval – they have played there 107 times and won 45. They have lost a very respectable 25 times, which is less than a quarter of the games played at the venue.
The Oval is a venue where teams like to bat first – of the 108 games played at the venue the skipper who won the toss opted to bat first on 88 occasions.
The team that batted first has won 41 times, while the team that batted second has won on 30 occasions.
The average first innings score at the ground is 337.
The highest score made at the ground was a massive 903/7 in 335.2 overs scored by England against Australia 1938.
The lowest score recorded at the ground was Australia’s 44 all out in 26 overs against England in 1896.
Weather:
London’s weather is set to drastically improve for the second Test match at the Kennington Oval. Following a breezy and damp opening morning on Wednesday 17 June, a dominant high-pressure system will move in, clearing out early rain clouds. Thursday 18 June through to Sunday 21 June will deliver glorious, uninterrupted sunshine and exceptionally warm summer conditions. Daytime peak temperatures will climb rapidly from 25 degrees on Wednesday up to a hot 30 degrees by the weekend. Cricket fans can look forward to ideal, dry spectating weather, while players face baking heat on a fast-drying outfield
Form (most recent game first):
England: W, L, W, L, L.
New Zealand: L, W, W, W, D.
Last five games Head-to-head: Eng, NZ, Eng, Eng, NZ.
Key player:
England, Joe Root: The maestro stands as England’s vital anchor, recently stepping back up to captain the side. As the highest Test run-scorer against New Zealand in cricket history, his technical mastery is unmatched. His sublime ability to absorb pressure and seamlessly accelerate scoring makes him the ultimate prize for the Kiwi bowling attack. Root’s average when skipper is lower than his overall Test average, but despite that, it is still well above 40. Root failed in both innings in the series opener, but before that he was in excellent touch with scores of 44, 33, 64, 96 and 111* in his five knocks ahead of the current series.
New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra: The prodigiously talented all-rounder is rapidly transforming into New Zealand’s premier multi-format superstar. Operating from the pivotal number four spot, his current red-ball form is spectacular after converting a gritty century during the recent tour of Ireland. He failed twice on the dodgy Lords pitch but regardless, Ravindra brings immense tactical flexibility to the side, combining elegant, high-tempo stroke play with highly effective left-arm spin that will prove crucial on what looks set to be a baking, dry Kennington Oval surface.
Verdict: England
It is hard to know how England will respond to the latest drinking controversy. They came in for a lot of criticism for their conduct during the Ashes at the start of the year and they were once again embroiled in controversy after the first Test victory. With Stokes and Atkinson dropped as a result and with Robinson out injured, this is a different looking team to the one that won at Lords. Expect England to fight back as they look to silence their critics.
