England won the toss and chose to play first against New Zealand
England won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first Test in Christchurch, on a green-tinged pitch but under clear skies, with the prospect of a hot day on the field if New Zealand can negotiate early movement against the new ball.
“Normally the ground gets better and better here,” England captain Ben Stokes said. “It’s got a nice grass cover, so hopefully we can get some use out of it with the new ball.”
It is England’s second tour of the country in consecutive calendar years, following a memorable campaign in early 2023 that ended 1-1 after New Zealand’s one-run victory in the second Test in Wellington. However, they have not won a series in the country since 2008.
“We’re always looking to push the game forward, so it’s great that it’s a three-match series this time,” Stokes said. “Hopefully, if the results are like last time, we will have a winner.”
“If you bat well in the first session, things can get a little easier. The crowd is behind us, which we obviously appreciate. It’s a great time for New Zealand cricket at the moment. Every time someone makes their debut, “It’s a special moment. I’m very excited for him.”
The teams will compete for the newly created Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, which was carried onto the field before the national anthems by Deb Crowe, sister of former New Zealand captain Martin, and her grandson Tim Harvey, along with Michael Atherton, Graham Thorpe. former teammate and captain.
“It’s amazing to play in this series,” Stokes said. “Two legends of the game, both in New Zealand and English cricket, and around the world. To be able to commemorate them in this series is something special to be a part of.”
New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (captain), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (week), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Nathan Smith, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O’ Rourke.
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jacob Bethell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ollie Pope (week), 7 Ben Stokes (captain), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Shoaib Bashir.
Andrew Miller is UK editor for ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
