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.”
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.”
“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.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
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