England v New Zealand 2nd Test: Captain Cook can lead team to another victory
The first test of the summer could hardly have been a more exciting one as England secured a thrilling victory over New Zealand at Lord’s.
Having come off a disappointing trip to the West Indies earlier in the year and vociferous criticism for dealings away from the pitch, England needed a good showing and they produced one.
The star of the show was Ben Stokes who scored a stunning hundred in the second innings. He was not alone in impressing, though, with Alistair Cook, Joe Root and Stuart Broad all in great form too.
The teams go to Headingley this week and England should be confident of another win in Leeds.
These sides met in West Yorkshire two years ago and the English won comfortably. That contest featured centuries for Cook and Root which bodes well for England fans this week.
Being in Leeds should also be a plus for those who struggled at Lord’s in the previous clash. Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance both failed to perform with the bat, but now on their home ground they will be much more confident of success.
Headingley is traditionally helpful for spin bowlers; when these sides last met here it was Graeme Swann that did most of the damage.
Neither Moeen Ali for England nor Mark Craig for NZ are fearsome operators but you would probably give the home side the edge in this department after seeing the Lord’s test where Craig was poor.
We can expect a really good display with bat and ball from England who now have their tails up.
The Kiwis will be desperate to avenge the loss in London but they will have a tough time getting through Cook, Stokes and the Yorkshire trio of Lyth, Ballance and Root; all of whom could score big runs.
The tourist to look out for will be Kane Williamson who has also played for Yorkshire with some distinction and scored a century in the first test. His will be the prize wicket for the English attack and he may well chip in with the odd wicket with his off-spin bowling.
The weather is always a concern in the north of England but the forecast is pretty good, barring a few showers on Sunday. This should leave plenty of time for a positive result to be reached.
England have a lot going their way ahead of this clash and should be backed to win it.
