New Zealand vs England T20I Series Tips: England Worth Their Salt
The huge Ashes Test series is on the horizon for England but before that, they head to New Zealand for some white ball cricket.
They face the Kiwis in T20Is and ODIs with the shorter format first. Harry Brook leads the Three Lions as they travel Down Under looking to make it three consecutive T20I series victories and continue their strong recent form against New Zealand.
Here, we look at the T20I series and pick out three of the best bets before it starts on 18th October in Christchurch.
Tip 1 – Phil Salt top series run scorer @ 9/2
England’s recent T20I matches have seen some spectacular and record-breaking hitting from Phil Salt.
He has topped the scoring charts against both South Africa and Ireland while his unbeaten 141 in 39 balls against the Proteas was the fastest ever century by an England batsman.
The 9/2 for him to be the top run scorer for the third series in a row holds plenty of appeal.
The 29-year-old averages over 38 in this format and, while he will face competition from team-mate Jos Buttler as well as Kiwis Devon Conway and Tim Robinson, his form makes him the standout candidate.
He will be looking to add considerably to his 1,452 T20I runs and, adding to the danger for New Zealand, his strike rate stands at an explosive 169.6.
Tip 2 – England to win the series 2-1 @ 6/5
The T20I series win over Ireland wasn’t anything unexpected from England, but their superb display in the second match in the series with South Africa showed signs that their white ball form is returning.
Their huge 304-2 was the highest ever total in this format by an England side and helped Brendan McCullum’s men to a 146-run win – both their biggest T20I win and South Africa’s largest defeat.
New Zealand come into this off the back of a 2-0 series defeat against Australia and the side ranked fourth in the world will know they are in for a battle against the 2009 and 2022 world champions.
England won their last series here in 2019/20 3-2 while the Kiwis haven’t won a series in T20 against England since 2013 and have never beaten them in a home series.
The 6/5 for a 2-1 away win here stacks up.
Tip 3 – Tim Robinson to be top New Zealand run scorer @ 4/1
Robinson has already proven he can adapt quickly to the international scene.
The 23-year-old may have only 14 T20I innings to his name but he has an impressive 397 runs at an average of 36.1.
He made his maiden international century just two innings ago and, while it came in defeat to Australia, the five sixes in his 66-ball 106 were impressive – as is his overall strike rate of 137.4.
The top-order batsman is known for his quick scoring. While that can lead to early dismissals, if he can continue the form shown against the Aussies then 4/1 for him to top the scoring charts for New Zealand in this series is worth a look.
Team-mates Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Tim Seifert will be in the mix but, with his form seemingly peaking at the right time, Robinson can make a name for himself here.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
