Team England has declared their playing XI for the first match of the three-match Test series against New Zealand starting June 2. Durham fast bowler Matthew Potts will be seen making his debut in this match. Both veteran pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad have also returned to the squad. The first Test match is to start tomorrow at Lord’s.
For the England team, which has been going through a bad phase in Test cricket for some time, the first Test of the series starting on July 2 at Lord’s will be a new one. All-rounder Ben Stokes will lead the team as a full-time captain for the first time in this match. This will be the first assignment since former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum took over as coach of the England Test team last month.
Joe Root to play as a batsman for the first time since 2017
Joe Root, the veteran batsman who led England to the most number of Test victories under his captaincy, will be playing as a batsman for the first time in nearly five years in the Test team. He took over the captaincy of the England Test team in February 2017 but resigned from the captaincy in April 2023 due to the team’s poor performance for some time. Under Root’s captaincy, England played 64 Test matches, winning 27 and losing 26 matches.
Apart from Joe Root, England’s batting will depend on experienced Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes. Openers Jack Crowley and Alex Lees will be hoping for a good start for the team. In bowling, Jack Leach will handle the spin department. Ben Fox will play the role of the wicketkeeper.
Both England and New Zealand are not in a good position to take their place for the World Test Championship Finals. England is now at the 9th position in the WTC points table. While New Zealand is also in 6th place which is not good for them to reach the finals.
