England vs New Zealand 2021, 2nd Test: New Zealand’s Predicted Playing XI

New Zealand head into this Test match with injury concerns to a couple of their players. Regular skipper Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the second Test match and so also Mitchell Santner. Tom Latham will lead the Kiwis in the game while Will Young will replace him in the Predicted Playing XI line-up.

Kiwis are unbeaten in their last seven test matches. They won six on the trot and the seventh was the first Test against England which ended in a draw. The Blackcaps could also rest a few of their key players ahead of the WTC final. Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson could make way for Doug Bracewell and Matt Henry. Spinner Ajaz Patel should make his return to the side.

New Zealand???s Predicted Playing XI

Tom Latham

Latham will lead the side as per reports after Kane Williamson was ruled out. He is closing in on 4000 Test runs which he targets to surpass at Edgbaston. Latham got starts in the first Test but could not convert into big scores.

Devon Conway

Conway broke a plethora of records after scoring a double ton in his maiden Test at Lord’s. He is the most important player in the line-up and the Blackcaps will bank heavily on him to give the team a good start. Like Burns, Conway was the last batsman to be dismissed in the New Zealand first innings.

Young will replace Williamson at number three in the New Zealand batting line-up. He has previously played two Tests in which he has scored 48 runs at an average of 24. The young Kiwi batsman has been in brilliant form for Durham in the ongoing County Championship. In 7 innings, he has smashed 278 runs at an average of 40.11 with two hundreds.

Also Read: England Vs New Zealand 2021: Kane Williamson Ruled Out Of The 2nd Test; Will Young To Feature In The Starting XI

Ross Taylor

Taylor is the seniormost batsman in the Blackcaps batting line-up. He scored 14 and 33 in the two innings of the first Test. In Williamson’s absence, he holds the key in the middle-order. The Edgbaston Test will be Taylor’s 107th of his career. Recently he has played down rumors about his international retirement.

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Henry Nicholls

Nicholls is the third-left-hander in the top 6 of New Zealand’s predicted playing XI line-up. He has been a chief contributor for the Kiwis during the championship. He scored 585 runs in 10 matches with three centuries. He scored 61 & 23 in the two innings of the first Test.

BJ Watling (WK)

A veteran of 74Tests for New Zealand, BJ Watling has said that he will retire after the World Test Championship against India. Watling scored 1 & 15 in the first Test. He would like to make a sizeable contribution to the second Test.

Colin de Grandhomme

Grandhomme will play as the specialist all-rounder in the line-up. The management is looking to give Kyle Jamieson some much-needed rest ahead of the WTC final against India.

Doug Bracewell

Bracewell had a stop-start career for the Blackcaps over the years. Having made his Test debut way back in 2011, the 30-year old has not got enough chances at the highest level. He played his last Test back in 2016. He will replace Tim Southee in the bowling attack who has been rested ahead of the World Test Championship final.

Ajaz Patel

Patel will replace Mitchell Santner in the line-up who injured himself Santner had suffered a cut to his spinning finger during the intra-squad match, in the approach to the tour, and then aggravated his injury by playing the first Test at Lord’s.

Trent Boult

Boult returns to the squad after missing the first game. He took some time off to spend it with family after returning from the IPL bio-bubble. He returned back to practice three days prior to his stipulated quarantine period.

Neil Wagner

Wagner culminates the Blackcaps Predicted Playing XI line-up. the two bowlers will be key to New Zealand winning the Test match in Southee’s absence. The left-arm pacer took three wickets in the first Test.

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