World Cup 2019, Match 41: ENG vs NZ – England Predicted Playing XI

Things seemed to have gotten a bit haywire for England after their two consecutive losses. Their knockout chances were getting slim and they needed something special. The side, though, got back beautifully and by defeating an unbeaten Team India in the last match have kept their hopes alive. Howbeit, the job is hardly anywhere near done as yet.

The Brits are still fighting for a semi-final spot and will be taking on New Zealand in their next game. They’ve got to win this game at all costs to get into the safe zone. England’s playing eleven after the return of Jason Roy in the last game looks pretty much sorted. However, will they fancy any chances to the bowling attack?

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for England

Openers (Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow)

The return of Jason Roy into the England team has come as a breath of fresh air. He was drafted in for the must-win game against India and had an impact straight away. His fearless batting approach has changed the attitude of the other batsmen as well, including his opening partner Jonny Bairstow.

Roy has been one of the most consistent performers for his side and will hope to provide his team with a good, aggressive start yet again. Bairstow has got the luxury of taking some time initially with Roy at the other end. He responded beautifully to his team’s call by getting an exceptional hundred and has looked electric on the field. The Brits will bank a lot of their hopes on these two for the must-win encounter coming up.

Middle Order (Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (wk))

Although Joe Root couldn’t score as many runs as he’d have fancied in the last game, his contribution was a valuable one for his team. As long as he was out there in the middle, he held one end up tight and rotated the strike. England will expect him to fulfil a similar role in the upcoming game as well.

English skipper Eoin Morgan didn’t look to be at his best in the last match. He’s got some catching up to do and must look to lead his team from the front. Jos Buttler will keep wickets and also play the role of a finisher. It is important for the management to analyse the situations better and use him wisely as he came out to bat a bit too late against India.

All-Rounders (Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes)

Ben Stokes has done an excellent all-round job and has particularly been excellent with the bat. He has already scored four half-centuries in the tournament and is adding some extremely valuable runs with the bat. However, Stokes has got to up the ante with the ball as well provide his team with some economical overs.

Chris Woakes will continue to open the bowling for his team. He is a great exponent of swing bowling and is tough to face while he is operating with the new ball. Woakes came up with a good performance last time around and he should look to exploit some of the vulnerabilities of the New Zealand openers early in the innings.

Bowlers (Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood)

England might prefer Liam Plunkett ahead of Moeen Ali for this game as well. He digs the ball into the pitch and is very handy with his variations. The pacer has got the knack of picking wickets in the middle overs and does a fair job with the bat. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will be the other two pacers in the line-up.

England will back Archer to do the job for them at the death. Wood, on the other hand, looked slightly off-colour in the last outing and some work to do in the next match. He could be more effective if given the new ball. The team has persisted with Adil Rashid and might continue to do so. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is replaced by Moeen Ali.