England vs New Zealand Betting Preview

You know when you go to a restaurant and before the mains you get some bread that stops your hunger for a little bit though is no substitute for the mains, well that is like this mini Test series between England and New Zealand ahead of the Ashes. Here is our guide to the best of the bets from this upcoming series and I promise no more food analogies.

Thursday morning at Lord’s the international cricket summer gets underway with England 6/17 (BWIN) favourites to win the series. It is a short two match series ahead of the Ashes later this summer. These two sides met in New Zealand recently and England scraped a 0-0 draw so I can not be backing them at that price despite having home advantage this time around. The Black Caps are probably better value at 12/1 (SPREADEX) while the draw can be backed at 4/1 (boylesports/sportingbet/888 SPORT).

Those looking for a correct score bet can take England to win the series 2-0 at 7/4 (SPREADEX) while England to win 1-0 is priced at 15/8 (888 SPORT/william hill). Those who think the series will end up tied can get the 0-0 draw at 8/1 (888 SPORT) while the 1-1 draw is 10/1 (bet365/STAN JAMES). If you fancy the Black Caps you can get them to win the series 1-0 at 14/1 (bet365) while the 2-0 New Zealand series victory is as big as 66/1 (bet365).

The market to be top England runscorer in the series is headed by captain Alistair Cook who is 5/2 (GENERAL) ahead of Jonathan Trott who is a 7/2 (GENERAL) chance. The bet though could be in backing Joe Root at 7/1 (boylesports/sportingbet/ william hill). Root comes into the game on the back of a 179 against the Kiwis for the Lions this month just one of three centuries he has put on so far this season. He has racked up a staggering 646 runs in just four first-class innings. Nobody else in the England line up has anything approaching that form. The market to be top New Zealand batsman is headed by Brendan McCullum and Kane Williamson both of whom are 4/1 (GENERAL) chances. The player I like here is Hamish Rutherford at 11/2 (bet365) who grabbed 126 off 155 balls at Leicester and hit 171 against England in the first test over in New Zealand.

England will hope to get things underway with a victory at Lord’s as the second test is at a Headingley venue that might suit New Zealand and the hosts have not won in their last three there. Lord’s has been good to England with them suffering just one defeat from their last 14 though that defeat did come to South Africa last summer. The hosts are the 20/21 (STAN JAMES) first test favourites while the draw is 7/5 (STAN JAMES) and a New Zealand victory is 12/1 (BOYLESPORTS/betfred/STAN JAMES). I think it has to be worth taking a chance on England to win the opener at those odds though the weather might be a factor so keep an eye out on the forecast and the option to lay off. The Black Caps do not have the pace attack to worry England while James Anderson should excel here.

BEST OF THE BETS

GOLD: England to win first test v New Zealand, 20/21 (STAN JAMES)
SILVER: Joe Root top England series runscorer, 7/1 (BOYLESPORTS/SPORTINGBET/william hill)
BRONZE: Hamish Rutherford top New Zealand runscorer, 11/2 (BET365)

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16/05/2013     © Frixo 2026