A lot has happened ahead of the second Test between England and New Zealand scheduled to start at Edgbaston on Thursday.(More Cricket News)
While England have been battling racism allegations with Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler under investigation after Ollie Robinson Fiasco, New Zealand are fretting over their skipper Kane Williamson’s elbow injury. Additionally, spinner Mitchell Santner has also been ruled out of the second Test.
Left-handed batsman Tom Latham will don the captaincy hat in Williamson's absence in the second Test beginning in Birmingham on June 10.
Williamson has been managing the injury since first missing matches in March and coach Gary Stead said it was still troubling him.
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“It’s not an easy decision for Kane to have to miss a Test, but we think it’s the right one,” he said, “He’s had an injection in his elbow to relieve the irritation he’s been experiencing when he bats and a period of rest and rehabilitation will help maximise his recovery.”
England also don’t seem to be in good state mentally with all the allegations of racism flying around.
England's white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler are under investigation for their alleged racist tweets, mocking Indians while Robinson is already suspended.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has promised ‘relevant and appropriate action’, saying each case will be considered on an individual basis. Buttler and Morgan both feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the former playing for the Rajasthan Royals and the latter leading the Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Additionally a homophobic tweet of James Anderson has also surfaced in which he describes Stuart Broad’s haircut as lesbian. (With inputs from PTI)
Match and telecast details:
Match: Second Test match between England and New Zealand:
Days: June 10 to June 14, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM IST/ 11:00 AM Local
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
TV Channels: Sony Six/HD
Live Streaming: SonyLIV and website (subscription required)
Head-to-head:
This will be their 107th meeting in the traditional format of the game, with England leading the head-to-head record 48-11. But England have failed to win against New Zealand in the last five matches - losing three, drawing two. The last time, England beat New Zealand was way back in 2015, at the same venue.
For England, this will be their 1036th match (377 wins, 308 loses, 350 draws). For New Zealand, this will be their 448th match (105 wins, 175 loses and 167 draws).
Likely XIs:
England: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence, James Bracey (wk), Craig Overton, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Will Young, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Colin De Grandhomme, , Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Ajaz Patel.
Squads:
England: Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (c), Ollie Pope, Daniel Lawrence, James Bracey (wk), Craig Overton, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Sam Billings, Olly Stone, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, Haseeb Hameed.
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New Zealand: Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Doug Bracewell, Will Young, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Devon Conway, Ajaz Patel, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra.
