England taking a strong team to New Zealand for their T20 series

By Joshua Kerr / Roar Guru

In a month’s time, England will tour New Zealand, playing five T20s and two Tests.

Part 1 of my preview of the series focuses on the T20 squad.

Eoin Morgan (c) (Middlesex)
Captain reliable. Expect a few half-centuries from Morgan in NZ, where he has a batting average of 69.50, his highest in any country.

Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Dropped from the Test team, Bairstow is still a proven opening batsman. He hasn’t played a T20 since March although this is largely because he was rested before and after the World Cup, where he played a significant role in England’s tournament win. It won’t take the Yorkshireman long to get back into the swing of things.

Tom Banton (Somerset)
The debutant has been in junior international circles for a few years now and has had success this summer, scoring 549 runs for Somerset in the Vitality Blast, second only to his teammate, Babar Azam. He made his first T20 century for Somerset against Kent in August off just 51 balls, so looks set to open and keep wicket as well.

Sam Billings (Kent)
Billings had a frustrating Vitality Blast but still has the ability to provide useful contributions as a lower middle-order batsman.

Pat Brown (Worcestershire)
Another debutant, Brown has shown potential all through his career and was offered a scholarship at the University of Worcester in 2017, making his debut for the county that season.

Sam Curran (Surrey)
Having made inroads into the Test squad, the younger Curran brother makes his international debut here. He won’t make many appearances though, as his brother Tom is likely the preferred option.

Tom Curran (Surrey)
Can pick up a wicket when required and score good runs too.

Joe Denly (Kent)
Denly’s career seemed to be on its last legs not so long ago but now it has been given a new lease of life. Denly didn’t play in the Vitality Blast, with his last T20 match being for England in Cardiff in May, where he bowled one over which went for 15 runs.

Lewis Gregory (Somerset)
Gregory was used sporadically by Somerset, picking up 2-31 against Hampshire and 3-30 against Sussex. The debutant may be used sporadically by England as well.

Chris Jordan (Sussex)
Jordan is committed to T20 cricket, playing no other format of the game, and is a regular in the IPL, BBL and recently made an appearance for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.

Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)
Mahmood took the most wickets out of any bowler in this summer’s Royal London One Day Cup, with 28, and took eight wickets in the Vitality Blast. Mahmood was named the England Development Programme cricketer of the year in 2015 so it is great to see his hard work paying off with this call-up to the national team.

Dawid Malan (Middlesex)
Malan hasn’t played a T20 international since the last time England toured New Zealand, in February 2018, where he made a good half century and took a wicket as well.

Matt Parkinson (Lancashire)
Has consistently taken wickets in the Vitality Blast but will the first-timer be given a chance to employ his spin over Adil Rashid?

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)
Rashid wasn’t involved in any county action this year due to his involvement in the World Cup. He will most likely be Morgan’s first choice spinner as he has a proven reputation for economic bowling.

James Vince (Hampshire)
Vince opened the batting for England against Pakistan in Cardiff in May. He scored 36 then and has the potential to improve on that.

My England XI
Eoin Morgan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Pat Brown, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, James Vince

This is an experimental side that combines fresh talent with established matchwinners, which can take the fight to New Zealand.

The bitter rivalry between these two nations, intensified by the World Cup final, makes this five-match T20 series a mouth-watering prospect.

Fixtures
First T20: Hagley Oval, Christchurch: Friday November 1st: 12pm (AEDT)
Second T20: Westpac Stadium, Wellington: Sunday November 3rd: 12pm (AEDT)
Third T20: Saxton Oval, Nelson: Tuesday November 5th: 12pm (AEDT)
Fourth T20: McLean Park, Napier: Friday November 8th: 4pm (AEDT)
Fifth T20: Eden Park, Auckland: Sunday November 10th: 12pm (AEDT)

Next time, I will preview the Test squad for the two-match series that follows the T20s at the end of November.

The Crowd Says:

AUTHOR

2019-10-02T11:51:24+00:00

Joshua Kerr

Roar Guru


Personally, I think five T20Is is a bit too much, considering that most other series in the 2019/20 season are only three matches long. It is good to see that T20 series are getting longer as most England T20 series only last one match.

2019-10-02T11:34:20+00:00

AREH

Roar Guru


Five T20I's! Crazy or understandable given the T20 WC approaches?

AUTHOR

2019-10-02T07:34:33+00:00

Joshua Kerr

Roar Guru


Don't worry Paul, I didn't know too many of the players myself when they were unveiled a week or two ago. Denly can score a few runs in the opening order and I've put him in the team because, if I was the selector, I wouldn't be willing to put a few of the novices in the team just yet. I know he's not the best option though. He could be replaced when England go to Nelson as their previous match is in Wellington and so they might want to rest some players in between the trip from the North Island to the South Island. That's what I'd do anyway but whether the England selectors will do that, is another matter. I'd bat Malan in the middle order (at 5 or 6). Malan has potential to go big, as proven by his innings v South Africa in Cardiff in June 2017 (his strike rate was 167 or something like that).

2019-10-01T22:28:42+00:00

Paul

Roar Guru


hi Joshua, I don't know a whole lot about a few of these guys but am surprised both Joe Denly & Dawid Malan rated a spot in the squad. I've only seen them play Tests and one's career is in it's infancy and the other has stalled, but neither seemed the type to be really good T20 batsmen? Denly's international T20 numbers are underwhelming but Malan seems okay. Can you expand on why Denly should get first crack at the team and where would you bat Malan?

Read more at The Roar