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As the ICC Cricket World Cup draws nearer, cricket teams around the world are actively participating in high-profile series to polish their skills and strategies. One such highly anticipated series is poised to unfold, featuring the defending champions, England, facing off against the runners-up in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, New Zealand.
New Zealand are presently on a tour of England, set to engage in a challenging series comprising four T20Is and four ODIs. The tour kicks off with the inaugural T20I scheduled for Wednesday, August 30, taking pl🅷ace at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. Both💫 teams are eager to kickstart the tour with a victorious performance.
For England, this series marks their return to T20I action since their disappointing 3-0 se💖ries loss to Bangladesh in March. After their triumphant World Cup campaign in Australia at the end of 2022, England faced a starkly different scenario in subco🅰ntinent, where they suffered defeats in all three encounters.
Now, five months later and after a domestic white-ball season, England are determined to demonstrate their prowess as reigning world champions. Leading the charge is Jos Buttler, who captains a well-rounded team comprising experienced stalwarts like Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone, along with promising newcomers. Surrey’s fast bowler Gus Atkinson has earned his first call-up, adding depth to the squ💖ad.
However, John Turner, initially set for his debut, sustained an injury and has been replaced by Brydon Carse, while Chris Jordan steps in for Josh Tongue.
Also READ: Jos Buttler provides Harry Brook a glimmer of hope for the ODI World Cup 2023
England’s top-choice XI for the T20I series against New Zealand
Openers and Middle Order
Buttler is a dynamic wicketkeeper-batter, known for his explosive batting in the powerplay. He provides the team with a solid start alongside Bairstow, who is another acc☂omplished opening batter with a proven track record in T20 cricket. Bairstow comp🎀lements Buttler at the top and can take on the bowlers right from the first ball.
In the middle order, Dawid Malan adds stability with his consistent top-order batting, anchoring the innings when needed. He is often joined by Livingstone, a versatile all-rounder who can contribute both with the bat and the ball. Livingstone’s aggressive batting style and ability to pick up crucial wickets with his off-spin make him a valuable asset.
All-rounders
The team boasts a strong all-round department with Moeen, a seasoned all-rounder who bat at five in the middle order and can provide crucial breakthroughs with his off-spin bowling. Will Jacks, a promising all-rounder, adds depth to the team’s resources, playing a crucial role in the middle overs with both bat and ball. Sam Curran, a multi-dimensional all-rounder, is known for hisཧ aggressive batting in the lower middle order and his ability to provide breakthroughs with his left-arm pace bowling.
Bowlers
The bowling attack is led by Chris Jordan, a re🐽liable fast bowler with experience and skill in executing yorkers in the death overs. Rashid, a world-class leg-spin bowler, provides crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs and can control the run flow with his spin variations. Atkinson, a debutant fast bowler, adds a fresh dimension to the attack with his pace and seam movement. Carse, another fast bowler, can hit the deck hard and extract bounce, making him a valuable ⛄asset in English conditions.
This ba🔯lanced lineup combines experience, youth, batting prowess, all-round capabilities, and a potent bowling attack, making it a competi♐tive unit for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
England’s best XI for the T20I series against New Zealand:
Jos Buttler (c), Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, W𝓡ill Jacks, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Gu🃏s Atkinson, Brydon Carse
England’s T20I squad for the New Zealand series:
Jos Buttler (c), Reha🍷n Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonnᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚy Bairstow, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood
