England Vs New Zealand: Blow for NZ as Kane Williamson ruled out due to Covid-19 for Second Test Match

The test match saw a lot of great performances from individuals. While the first half of the game was dominated by bowlers, the second innings had more show for batters. And that is when former skipper Joe Root displayed his class, scoring a sensational hundred and surpassing 10000 runs in the test. The two sides will lock horns at Trent Bridge in the second Test Match.

New Zealand has a significant concern in the top-order, as seen in the previous match. Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell were bold to perform with grit and determination in middle-order, which is one of the positives for the team. The team got a massive blow as one of their key all-rounders, Colin De Grandhome, has been ruled out of the series following a heel injury. Besides him, skipper Kane Williamson will miss the second test after testing positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the match. Tom Latham will be seen leading the side in his absence. Hamish Rutherford, currently playing Blast for Leicestershire, has been drafted in by New Zealand and will link up with the squad in Nottingham on Friday morning. Nicholls might be available for selection post recovery from a calf injury, whereas Neil Wagner and Matt Henry might also be considered after the under-utilisation of spinner Ajaz Patel. 

England had a lot of positive takeaways from the previous match. Joe Root's dominating ton after leaving captaincy. James Anderson and Stuart Broad ruled with the ball, defying all the questions raised on age with their experience and fitness. We might expect the return of Jack Leach after suffering a concussion in the previous game, which will put Matt Parkinson back on the bench despite having taken a wicket in the last match. Matthew Potts helped the hosts dominate with his 7-wicket debut at Lords. 

Pitch Report

Pacers are likely to get help initially. The pitch at Trent Bridge is expected to behave similarly to Lord's. This implies whichever team dominates the initial inning can lay the foundation for the team and will expectedly have an edge later in the match. 

Stats to keep an eye on

• After three sixes at Lord's, Ben Stokes is now 15 away from overtaking his coach, Brendon McCullum, as the leading six-hitter in Test history. 
• New Zealand's defeat at Lord's was their first against England since 2015. 
• Tim Southee needs eight more wickets to reach 350 in Tests. Only Richard Hadlee (431) and Dan Vettori (362) have taken more for New Zealand.

We can expect another exciting contest between the two teams. New Zealand will hope that their skipper Kane Williamson gets his initial form back; else reigning ICC World Test Championship winner might end up on the losing side. On the other hand, England has not won a Test Match at Trent Bridge since the 2015 Ashes.