England win toss, bowl first, as Jacob Bethell, Nathan Smith make Test debuts

England won the toss and chose to bowl first vs New Zealand

England won the toss and chose to bowl first in the first Test at Christchurch, on a green-tinged pitch but under clear skies, with the prospect of a hot day in the field if New Zealand can negotiate the early movement against the new ball.

“Typically the wicket gets better and better here,” said Ben Stokes, England’s captain. “There’s a nice covering a grass on it so hopefully, we can get something out of it with the new ball.”

He also confirmed a debut for Jacob Bethell, who will bat at No.3 and was presented with his cap before play by his Warwickshire – and now England – team-mate, Chris Woakes. Joe Root also received a commemorative cap from James Anderson to mark his 150th Test.

Bethell’s opportunity arose after Jordan Cox was ruled out of the series with a hand injury, having been earmarked for his own debut as wicketkeeper – a role which now passes to Ollie Pope. “It’s never nice to see a young talented lad get injured, but I’m really looking forward to Bethell getting a go today,” Stokes added.

With Cox absent, Durham’s Ollie Robinson has been officially added to the England squad, and is expected to arrive in the country on Saturday after his passport renewal prompted a delay in his departure date.

It is England’s second tour of the country in consecutive calendar years, after a memorable campaign in early 2023 that ended 1-1 after New Zealand’s one-run win in the second Test at Wellington. They have not won a series in the country, however, since 2008.

“We’re always looking to push the game forward, so it’s great that it’s a three-match series this time around,” Stokes said. “Hopefully if the results pan out like last time, we’ll have a winner.”

Tom Latham, New Zealand’s captain, confirmed he would have bowled first too, but was optimistic about his team’s prospects, off the back of their magnificent 3-0 series win in India earlier this month. Nathan Smith will make his debut as a seam-bowling allrounder, with Kane Williamson returning at No.3 after a groin injury.

“If you bat well in the first session, things can get a little bit easier. The public has got right behind us, which we obviously appreciate. It’s a great time for New Zealand cricket at the moment. Any time someone makes their debut, it’s a special time. I’m really excited for him.”

The teams will be competing for the newly minted Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, which was brought onto the field ahead of the national anthems by Deb Crowe, the sister of New Zealand’s former captain Martin, and her grandson Tim Harvey, alongside Michael Atherton, Graham Thorpe’s former teammate and captain.

“It’s an amazing thing to be playing for in this series,” Stokes said. “Two legends of the game, both for New Zealand and English cricket, and all around the world. To be able to commemorate them in this series is a special thing to be part of.”

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 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 (wk), 7 Ben Stokes (capt), 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Brydon Carse, 11 Shoaib Bashir.