New Zealand vs England Prediction, 1st ODI – Who will win today’s match between NZ vs ENG?

The first ODI between New Zealand (NZ) and England (ENG) for the ongoing multi-format series will be staged at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui on Sunday, October 26. The T20I leg of the tour went in favour of England, as they won the three-match series by 1-0, with a couple of games ending in no result due to rains in Christchurch and Auckland for the first and third T20I, respectively.

New Zealand have been in great form in One-Day Internationals of late. They recently whitewashed Pakistan in the three-match series, and also emerged as the runners-up at the 2025 Champions Trophy — a tournament where they remained unbeaten throughout before losing to India in the finals in Dubai. They will aim to maintain the same form, with Kane Williamson also returning to the fore.

England, on the other hand, lost their previous 50-over series against South Africa at home by 1-2, but had whitewashed West Indies in the one before the home series. The Harry Brook-led side will be confident to put up a show in the upcoming encounter at the Bay Oval. However, their lack of experience in their bowling attack could be a point of concern throughout the series, a thing they must be wary of.

Match Details

Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui — Pitch Report

The Bay Oval, situated in Mount Maunganui is among the latest international venues in New Zealand, and has hosted 12 ODI matches since its first in 2014. Out of these 12 matches, six have been won by the team batting first, whereas, teams chasing the target have won as many games. Teams scoring above 300 in the first innings have never lost a game at this venue, and naturally enough, that should be the mindset if the team opts to bat first after winning the toss here.

ENG vs NZ — Head-to-Head Record in ODIs

NZ vs ENG, 1st ODI — Predicted Playing 11s

New Zealand

Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (captain), Zakary Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry

England

Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Sonny Baker, Luke Wood

NZ vs ENG, 1st ODI — Probable Best Performers of the Match

Probable Best Batter — Joe Root

Joe Root is a name that needs no introduction. The ace batter has thrived at No. 3 position for England over a decade now, and is also the highest run-getter for the Three Lions in the format. His ability to find gaps straightaway and playing ground shots and yet scoring at a quick rate make him a lethal batter to bowl to. The Yorkshire cricketer is expected to be at his very best against the New Zealanders.

Probable Best Bowler — Mitchell Santner

The BlackCaps skipper Mitchell Santner, a left-arm orthodox spinner, has made a reputation for himself to thrive on pitches that offer very negligible assistance to spin. While he isn't a huge turner of the cricket ball, his variations with speed and generating extra bounce with his height make him a very unpredictable bowler for the opposition. He is expected to be among the wickets once again, especially if the Kiwis are to defend a total.