ICC WCC 07:SWOT Analysis Eng Vs NZ!

Wow! Yet another big match today. Kiwis taking on the English!! Expect it to be nothing short of a blinder!

Sample this: Eng V Kiwi Matches played 58. England won 27, NZ..well 27 too! Hmm that doesn't help does it?

Lets get straight to business. SWOT time!

New Zealand

Strengths: Kiwis can bat and bat deep. Also going by their recent form(link to the Hadlee series) , looks like they can chase anything under the sun!
Jacob Oram is definitely the key player here. Vettori and Bond will play a key role as well. With the old ball, this spin-fast duo could prove lethal, more so if Bond is able to reverse it.

Weakness: Inconsistent!. Fleming needs to score if NZ want to go deep into the tournament. Kiwis are just not the same side while playing outside NZ.

Opportunities: Not so great English bowling attack if James Anderson misses play today. Collingwood might be the best In-form batsman for Eng but against the Kiwis he averages a dismal 20.8(His career average is 34 odd).

Threat:Craig McMillan might not play due to his toe injury. Andy Flintoff loves to take the wicket of Fleming which he has been doing pretty consistently.(Link here for stats)
England won the CB series playing against Aus and NZ..that will be a physcological boost.

ENGLAND

Strengths: Impact players-Flintoff, Collingwood and Pieterson. Can tear apart any attack on thier day. A very balanced side as well.

Weaknesses: hmm..Couldn't think of many. if James Anderson doesn't play and the pitch turns out conducive to seam, he will be a great miss. Also compared to Kiwis, the English doesnt seem to be very experienced lot. This could matter if the match goes down till the end of the wire.

Opportunities: Going by the Ken Vs Canada match conditions, Not to forget, Monty panesar who has a great chance of showing his skills on the big stage.

Threat: Well, Not sure if Michael Vaughan can hold up the full match due to his hamstring. Vettori will be a big pain if the condition is anywhere close to his likeness.

My prediction...Its going to be England all the way! Mind you..its not gonna be a easy one tho!