ENG vs NZ 2021: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st Test between England and New Zealand
The lead-up to the World Test Championship final has officially begun as finalists New Zealand take on England in the 1st Test at Lord's starting on June 2.
On paper, the clash between New Zealand and England is evenly matched. Both teams have an eye on future engagements, interestingly both against the Indian cricket team. While Joe Root's men face India in a five-match Test series post this, the WTC final looms large over the state of June's cricketing calendar.
While England will be without first-choice players like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran either due to rest or injury, they have several players lined up in the wings and waiting to make an impact. The Blackcaps, meanwhile, may choose to rest a few key players ahead of the WTC final but will want to get accustomed to the conditions at the earliest.
England's squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Sam Billings, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Mark Wood
New Zealand's squad: Kane Williamson (c), Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Jacob Duffy, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, BJ Watling, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner
Here are three players who could be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st Test between England and New Zealand.
#3 Tom Latham (New Zealand)
Tom Latham is definitely one of the most underrated Test batsmen in world cricket at the moment. A quiet but confident presence at the top of the order for New Zealand, the southpaw has consistently amassed scores even if he's found it slightly difficult to breach the three-figure mark recently.
Latham has four fifties in his last seven Test innings, all of which have been played in challenging conditions. He forms the backbone of the Kiwi batting lineup along with Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, and his importance to the side will only grow in England.
Latham is a good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st Test between England and New Zealand.
#2 Joe Root (England)
If Latham is important to New Zealand's batting lineup, skipper Joe Root is absolutely indispensable to England's. The Yorkshireman is on the back of an India tour that started promisingly but deteriorated with the pitches in the series, but is a key player in an England XI characterized by inconsistency and doubt.
Against New Zealand's famed fast-bowling quartet, assuming all four play, Root will look to notch up his 50th Test half-century. The England captain already has a remarkable innings at Lord's against the Blackcaps - he scored a classy 98 in the 1st Test back in 2015.
As the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the England vs New Zealand 1st Test, Root could rack up a huge points haul.
#1 Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
It's probably best to go with safe bets when it comes to Dream11 captaincy options early on in the series, and that's exactly what Kane Williamson is. The Kiwi skipper has been a run-machine in Test cricket over the last few years, penciling down his name among the greatest batsmen in the history of the format.
Williamson has scores of 251, 129, 21 and 328 in his last four Test innings and has an average of 43.71 against England in Tests. He is an excellent choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the 1st Test between England and New Zealand.