It will be a case of winner takes all in the second test when England host New Zealand at Edgbaston.

The first test, which featured a double century from New Zealand debutant Devon Conway and a ton from England batsman Rory Burns, ended on a draw on Sunday, meaning the winner of this test will win the two-match series.

Both teams will be forced to make changes to their teams for different reasons, with Ollie Robinson suspended for England and Kane Williamson and Mitchell Santner injured for New Zealand.

The match is scheduled to get underway at 11:00 BST on Wednesday.

Team news

England will be without seamer Ollie Robinson after the ECB suspended the Sussex man pending an investigation into historic tweets.

Somerset’s Craig Overton seems a direct replacement for Robinson at number eight, but will have competition from the likes of Olly Stone and Mark Wood for the third seamer spot.

Spinner Jack Leach is likely to be recalled to the XI after missing the draw at Lord’s, with Edgbaston more likely to offer assistance to the spinners. The fact Dom Bess has been called up as cover also suggests Leach is likely to feature.

The lack of an all-rounder in the squad is hurting England, but means Dan Lawrence is likely to continue at number six with the under-pressure Zak Crawley at three. James Bracey is expected to keep wicket again.

New Zealand will be without captain Kane Williamson for the match after he picked up an elbow injury. Tom Latham will skipper the side in his absence.

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Left-armer Trent Boult is available for selection again and could play in order to build up some overs ahead of the World Test Championship final later this month. Black Caps head coach Gary Stead has claimed front-line bowlers may be rested in Birmingham, meaning the likes of Matt Henry and Doug Bracewell could feature.

Finger spinner Mitchell Santner will also be absent due to a cut on his left index finger, with Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra available to come in.

Predicted lineups

England: Burns, Sibley, Crawley, Root, Pope, Lawrence, Bracey, Overton, Broad, Leach, Anderson.

New Zealand: Latham, Conway, Young, Taylor, Nicholls, Watling, De Grandhomme, Jamieson, Boult, Wagner, Patel.

Form guide

England aren’t in the best of form going into the game, and were outplayed for most of the first test, which ended in a draw, mainly due to day three being washed out.

England lost 3-1 in India in their last test series, although did beat Sri Lanka 2-0 just before that. They won their last home series 1-0 against Pakistan in 2020.

New Zealand are in decent form and may have won the first test had the rain not interfered. They defeated Pakistan 2-0 over the new year at home and also beat West Indies 2-0 prior to that.

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They also enjoyed a 2-0 victory in India at the start of 2020, and will face the same team in the World Test Championship final later this month.

Ones to watch

There are several players worth keeping an eye on for England for various reasons. Opening batsman Rory Burns scored his third test century in the first test, so could be key for Joe Root’s side here, whilst Dom Sibley backed up his partner with an unbeaten 50 in the second innings.

Batsmen Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence may be under a bit of pressure for their spots after poor runs of form, whilst wicketkeeper James Bracey will be keen to impress after a duck on test debut in the capital.

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New Zealand had a debutant of their own at Lord’s and Devon Conway blew England away with an incredible 200 in the first innings. He may be the key man for the visitors, whilst the likes of Trent Boult will also be eager to impress.

Previous meetings

The first test of the series was drawn following a weather-impacted game, but New Zealand were on course for victory after registering a first innings lead of 103.

The Black Caps also won the last test series between the two sides, by a score of 1-0 in a two-match series back in November and December 2019.

How to watch

The game will be live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket in the UK. The game can also be viewed via a Now TV subscription.

18,000 fans are expected to be in attendance.

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