uk Won the toss and chose to bowl first. New Zealand
England won the toss and decided to bowl out the first Test in Christchurch for the first time under green but clear skies. If New Zealand can negotiate an early move on the new ball, a hot day is expected on the field.
“Generally, the wickets here are getting better and better,” England captain Ben Stokes said. “It’s nice to have some grass on top, so hopefully we can get something with the new ball.”
This is England’s second domestic tour in successive years, following a memorable campaign in early 2023 that ended 1-1 following New Zealand’s one-run win in the second Test in Wellington. However, they have not won a domestic series since 2008.
“We’re always trying to improve our game, so it’s nice that it’s a three-game series this time,” Stokes said. “Hopefully, if the results come out like last time, there will be a winner.”
“If you play well in the first session, it makes things a little bit easier. The public are right behind us, so we’re definitely grateful. It’s a great time for New Zealand cricket. Any time someone makes their debut, it’s a really special time. are you.”
The two teams will compete for the newly created Crowe-Thorpe Trophy. The trophy was presented to former New Zealand captain Martin’s sister Deb Crowe and her grandson Tim Harvey on the pitch ahead of the national anthem, along with Graham Thorpe’s Michael Atherton. I brought it. Former teammate and captain.
“It’s amazing to play in this series,” Stokes said. “They are two legends of the game, both in New Zealand and England cricket and around the world. It is special to be able to celebrate them in this series.”
New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (Capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (Lt), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Nathan Smith, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O’ Luke.
uk: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (wk), 7 Ben Stokes (cap), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Shoaib Bashir.
Andrew Miller is ESPNcricinfo’s UK editor. @Miller_Cricket
