England vs New Zealand 2nd T20 tips: Prediction, stars to watch and suggested bets

Who, when, where

England v New Zealand, Friday 1 September 2023, Old Trafford (1800)

Talking points

The turnaround time between the first and second match is under two days. While that's not necessarily brief amid a jampacked domestic and international calendar, it will test both teams' ability to prepare adequately for this encounter.

The weather forecast suggests plenty of rain in Manchester on matchday. We could be in for a truncated fixture here. This would almost certainly help the team batting second, so expect the toss-winning captain to choose to bowl first.

New Zealand struggled against the pace of England duo Brydon Carse and Luke Wood earlier this week. The hosts also deployed nine overs of spin, which ultimately got the better of the visiting team as well.

Whether both teams go with unchanged XIs or rotate personnel in the name of trial and experiment remains in the balance. Positionally, it might be England's cue to task a different bowler to open the attack alongside Luke Wood rather than fell0w left-armer Sam Curran.

Head-to-head

England have won four of their last five T20I meetings with New Zealand. This includes two in the last three. 

Three of the team's last five wins against each other have been completed by the side batting first - and another on the back of a super over.

Stars to watch

England have a power-packed batting order, so much so that captain Jos Buttler wasn't among the top five in the series opener. Butler pushed himself down the order, allowing the young Will Jacks to open alongside the experienced Jos Butler. Jacks has been performing in domestic leagues around the world - and this his chance to make it big on the international stage.

Seamer Tim Southee was relatively economical in the first T20I and conditions in Manchester could suit him better than at Chester-le-Street. Southee is captaining New Zealand this series. He has done so before, but it'll be interesting to see if the additional responsibility limits or empowers his primary role with the ball.

Prediction

A four-match series could spell a drawn scoreline. England have the chance to go two-nil up and ensure they, at least, can't lose the series. They should do just that, based on their reasonable dominance in the first match and their recent T20I head-to-head record against the Kiwis.

Suggested bets

England to beat New Zealand at 1.44

Will Jacks to be top England batsman at 5.50

Tim Southee to be New Zealand top bowler at 4.50