England vs. New Zealand 1st ODI Tips: Two tips for Cardiff clash on Friday

In a repeat of the 2019 Cricket World Cup final, England and New Zealand will do battle at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Friday for a fascinating 50-over one-day international as both teams warm up for next month's Cricket World Cup in India. The pair served up some thrilling T20 clashes recently and will now take on the longer format to try and find some form ahead of the World Cup. 

Our man Steve Chambers is here to preview the 1st of four ODI's and picks out his best bets for what should be an enthralling encounter...

Joe Root - Top England Batsman @ 15/4

Joe Root may not have scored the runs he wanted to in the recent Ashes series as England failed to get the better of Australia, but the former Test captain will be a huge part of England's Cricket World Cup plans and he can sparkle in Friday's opening match and can be the top scorer for the home team.

Averaging over 50 in the one-day format, Root may not have the power of the likes of Jason Roy and Harry Brook, but his brilliance at the crease means he has the ability to hit the ball all round the ground, so he's a very hard batsman to defend against. He has a superb average of 54.82 against New Zealand and having scored a century on his only Test visit to Cardiff in the international arena then he could be a major thorn in the side of the Black Caps.

England's batting line-up is awash with attacking talent and if batting first they could rack up a huge score, but Root could adopt the mainstay role in the middle order and whilst others try and smash the ball out of the ground he will build a potential match-winning innings and can top score.

Devon Conway - Top New Zealand Batsman @ 11/4

Averaging over 45 with the bat in one-day internationals, Devon Conway will open the batting with Finn Allen and the pair should be able to set a decent platform for the New Zealand innings. Allen showed during the T20s that once he gets going he can hit teams hard in the powerplay, but Conway is a man from the Joe Root ilk and accumulates runs with real ease.

Conway has become one of the most solid opening batsmen in world cricket in all formats and while he has the ability to score runs quickly he can also take his time when wickets fall around him, so the 11/4 for him to be the top Black Caps batsman is worth snapping up. The 32-year-old has scored three one-day international centuries - with a top score of 138 - and if the visitors are to land a blow on the reigning World Cup champions England then Conway will need to bat most of the innings and he can be the one to hold up an end while the likes of the aforementioned Allen and the in-form Glenn Phillips look to score quickly.