England v New Zealand 2nd Test Odds

England will be looking to distance themselves from all of the off-field controversy as they aim to seal a series triumph over New Zealand in the second Test at The Oval.

The hosts secured a 115-run victory in the opening Test on a Lord's pitch that was deemed "unsatisfactory" as 40 wickets fell in the space of just 996 balls, making it the shortest completed Test at the prestigious venue in almost 140 years.

England's bowlers certainly maximised the conditions as Gus Atkinson and Ollie Robinson claiming seven wickets apiece, including Robinson's first Test 5-fer in over four years.

But in the aftermath of England's triumph came controversy, centred around the future of captain Ben Stokes.

Both Stokes and Atkinson have been omitted from the squad pending an investigation after the pair broke the England team's midnight curfew and were involved in an incident at a nightclub.

Joe Root has been named interim skipper in the absence of Stokes, retaking the armband for the first time since his decision to step down as Test captain in April 2022.

The void left by Stokes and Atkinson has been filled by Essex batter Jordan Cox and Hampshire fast bowler Sonny Baker, who will make their England Test debuts.

Baker endured a difficult white-ball introduction last summer as he returned figures of 0-76 and 0-52 in his ODI and T20I debuts respectively, but the 23-year-old has flourished in the County Championship this season with 22 wickets from six matches.

Cox has been on the periphery of the Test team for a while and was set to play a part in the tour of New Zealand in 2024 until he sustained a broken thumb.

There's also an opportunity for Surrey bowler Matthew Fisher after Robinson dropped out of the squad due to a right knee injury, while Jofra Archer returns fresh from an impressive Indian Premier League campaign.

It's a much-changed XI, but one that Brendon McCullum has full confidence in.

"I was intrigued to see how the team was and I was quite happy to be honest," McCullum said on the atmosphere in the team. "There was a calm.

"Guys were still talking about last week, they touched on what had happened after.

"As a group they started communicating about what we need to do this week and how we are going to adapt to these conditions."

England v New Zealand - 2nd Test odds

(Odds will display when markets are available).

All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.