New Zealand v England Test match predictions and cricket betting tips

Where to watch

BT Sport 2, 1am Thursday

Best bet

England to win series
2pts 6-4 bet365

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New Zealand v England preview

New Zealand's North Island residents have been hunkering down over the past few days as heavy rain and gale-force winds caused by Cyclone Gabrielle swept across the nation.

It has, understandably, meant preparations for the first Test of England's tour of the country have been heavily impacted. Both sides practised under a giant marquee at the Bay Oval on Monday but the weather was closing in on Tuesday before Thursday's day-night opener in Mount Maunganui.

England legend James Anderson said his side would have to "deal with the challenges" presented by Cyclone Gabrielle, and the 40-year-old admitted that neither side would get much chance to practise on the field before the scheduled start.

Thankfully for New Zealand's population, the worst of the storm is forecast to have subsided come Thursday, although the first two days of the first Test could be susceptible to rain breaks and it remains to be seen just how much work the ground staff at the Bay Oval will have on their hands.

It's only seven months since the sides last met at Lord's, but the Test match landscape has changed immeasurably since then - and in large parts down to England.

England went into that contest languishing at the bottom of the ICC Test World Championship having won only one of their last 17 Tests and with a new captain, Ben Stokes, and head coach, former New Zealand star Brendon McCullum.

Since then, fuelled by their new devil-may-care approach, Stokes's side have breathed new life into the five-day arena, winning nine of their ten Tests in 2022 which culminated in a first series clean sweep in Pakistan in December.

'Bazball' has got England supporters dreaming again ahead of this summer's Ashes against the number-one ranked Aussies, and they look to have a golden opportunity to tick off another series win in New Zealand over the next couple of weeks.

The Black Caps have for so long punched above their weight in all formats but, like England last year, their Test team is now at a crossroads.

Stalwart Tim Southee has taken over the captaincy from star player Kane Williamson, their best bowler Trent Boult, so often the scourge of England, has retired from Tests to concentrate on franchise T20 cricket, while giant seamer Kyle Jamieson has suffered a recurrence of a stress fracture in his back and Matt Henry will miss the first Test to attend the birth of his first child.

It leaves Southee with a paper-thin bowling attack for the first Test with one of uncapped pair Jacob Duffy and Scott Kuggelejin seeming likely to make their debuts. That isn't ideal against a side in such bullish mood as England, whose mindset will be to seize on that fragility in their typically belligerent way with the bat.

The tourists haven't won a Test series or even a match for that matter in New Zealand since 2008, but they have become a different beast since Stokes and McCullum took the reins and look to have a great chance of setting that record straight.

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