England vs. New Zealand 4th ODI Tips: Two predictions for the Lord's matchup
England destroyed New Zealand at the Oval on Wednesday to give themselves a 2-1 lead in the four-match ODI series.
Ben Stokes again showed his uncompromising brilliance with a brutal 182 off just 124 balls, a record England men’s ODI score as he led his team to 368.
The bowlers then ran through the Kiwi batting order, with Woakes and Livingstone getting three wickets each as England secured a 181-run lead.
This game is their final ODI before their Cricket World Cup squad is announced and is a great chance for players to cement their place in the squad.
Matt Banks previews the 4th and final ODI on Friday and has two bets to back…
England vs New Zealand 4th ODI Tips
While Ben Stokes rightfully took all the plaudits for his innings at the Oval, Dawid Malan’s 96 off 95 balls was also an exceptional innings.
Returning to the side after the birth of his child, he found himself in a tricky position when Bairstow and Root fell early, leaving his side at 8-2.
Instead of becoming circumspect and watchful, something that has been levelled at him in the past, he decided to counterattack.
He relieved pressure on Stokes and got England out of a rut.
His form in ODI’s since the start of last year is truly brilliant: 761 runs and four hundreds at an average of 63.41, striking at 95.84.
We’re backing him to go well again at his home ground Lords.
This one seems obvious as since his return to the New Zealand side he has looked like by far the Blackcaps’ most dangerous bowler, but the value is still there.
The left-arm quick opted out of his central contract last year in order to play franchise cricket, and so hasn’t been in the New Zealand setup since, but made it clear he still wants to play in international tournaments.
They will be delighted he does because he has come back in and immediately gone back to being the leader of the attack, their most dangerous new ball threat, and their first-choice bowler for the death overs.
Lord's will suit Boult as he’ll look to swing it down the hill and will cause England’s top-order trouble again.
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