New Zealand v England: Second Test preview, betting tips and prediction

Cricket tips, best bets and predictions for New Zealand v England.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Cricket, 10pm Thursday

Best bets

Kane Williamson top New Zealand first-innings runscorer
2pts 2-1 Paddy Power
Back this tip with Paddy Power

Kane Williamson to score a first-innings fifty
2pts 6-5 Paddy Power
Bet on this selection with Paddy Power

Match preview

England were given an all-too-familiar lesson in Test match batting in the first of two clashes with New Zealand as their inability to bat long and to bat big came back to bite them in Mount Maunganui.

Joe Root's men failed to capitalise on a strong first-innings position at 277-4, collapsing to 353 all out, whereas the hosts piled on 615-9 declared thanks to a double century from BJ Watling and a maiden Test ton from Mitchell Santner. Second time around, England were blown away for 197 and lost by an innings.

Bookmakers make the Kiwis 5-4 favourites to wrap up a 2-0 series win in Thursday's second Test in Hamilton - a venue where they have racked up five handsome victories in their last six Tests. In the other, they had South Africa on the ropes at 80-5 in their second innings, still some 100 runs adrift before the game ended in a draw.

That impressive recent record and continuous fragility of England's batting unit certainly augurs well for home backers but the loss of ace left-arm seamer Trent Boult, who has taken 19 wickets in four Tests at Hamilton, to injury brings the sides closer together.

Home skipper Kane Williamson will run out at the picturesque Seddon Park, however, and he is another Kiwi with an exemplary record in Hamilton.

Williamson, who hit a first-innings fifty in the first Test, has scored 879 runs in 14 innings at Hamilton including knocks of 200 not out against Bangladesh in February and 176 against a crack South African attack in 2017.

Unflappable, confident and composed in equal measure, Williamson's last ten Test matches have yielded 876 runs comprising five fifties and two tons. Paddy Power go 6-5 that he passes 50 again and 2-1 that he leads the way with the bat for his side in their first innings - both look worth taking.

Williamson rarely looked in trouble on the docile Mount Maunganui wicket before Sam Curran got a delivery to jump on him and take the edge. And having watched happily on as Watling and Santner batted England into submission, it could be the New Zealand skipper's turn to make the tourists toil.

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport