Depleted New Zealand look to level series against England

Kyle Jamieson during a training session ahead of the match against England. Pic/AFP

New Zealand will target a strong comeback in the second of the three-Test series when the game commences at Trent Bridge later on Friday, with the tourists hoping to erase the 0-1 deficit and take the series to the decider.

England, under new skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, got off to a positive start despite early wobbles, with veteran batter Joe Root providing solidity with the bat in the second innings, scoring a fine unbeaten century to guide the hosts to a five-wicket victory.

Both New Zealand and England are currently ranked No.7 and 8 on the ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 standings, with their chances of making it to the final looking bleak.

Both the teams were dealt blows during the Lord's Test and in the aftermath. England lost spinner Jack Leach due to a concussion, resulting in his withdrawal from the Test and that gave an opportunity to leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, who came in as his replacement, to make his Test debut for the side.

However, Leach has retained his spot after making a recovery as England confirmed an unchanged XI for the Trent Bridge contest on the eve of the Test.

For New Zealand, the blows came in the form of Colin de Grandhomme and captain Kane Williamson.

De Grandhomme sustained a heel injury while bowling on the third day of the Lord's Test and will miss the remainder of the series, with Kane Williamson a late withdrawal due to Covid-19.

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New Zealand are expected to make a few changes to their line-up with Henry Nicholls also expected to feature in the second Test after recovering from a calf injury.

The opening Test at Lord's saw plenty of action including batting collapses, quicks firing from both ends and standout centurions. A total of 35 wickets fell inside the first three days, before centurion Joe Root and Ben Foakes took the game away from the reigning ICC World Test champions.

New Zealand decided to have a bat first, but their stay was cut short after veteran seamer James Anderson and debutant Matthew Potts claimed four wickets apiece to wrap up the visitors' innings on 132 in 40 overs, with de Grandhomme top-scoring with an unbeaten 42.

In response, England's line-up also crumbled after they were bowled out for 141, managing a thin lead. Wickets continued to fall as the visitors lost their top four with their scorecard reading 56/4. From there, Daryl Mitchell (108) and Tom Blundell (96) steadied the ship with a solid stand, helping New Zealand to 285.

England had a target of 277 in front. In their second outing with the bat, they lost four wickets inside 20 overs. It looked like New Zealand's game till then, but Root changed the script along with skipper Stokes. The in-form Root starred with a sensational unbeaten 115, while Stokes contributed with a solid 54 and Foakes added 32 not out as England sealed a five-wicket win early on Day 4.

"It's my first game in charge and we've won. It's a great start, but there are going to be ups and downs and it's just about dealing with that. It's going to be really important how we operate when things don't go well. That is when we'll really have to show what we're about," said Stokes ahead of the match.

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