England has confirmed their playing XI for the opening Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, with uncapped youngster Jacob Bethell poised to make his Test debut. The 21-year-old will bat at number three in the lineup, a decision reflecting his promising recent performances in white-ball cricket.
Bethell’s selection comes on the back of a strong showing in limited-overs matches against Australia and the West Indies. While he has yet to notch a first-class century, the young batter demonstrated his potential during the 2022 ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, where he was England’s second-highest run-scorer with 205 runs at an average of 34.16.
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The squad announcement also addresses England’s wicketkeeping situation. With Jamie Smith unavailable due to paternity leave and backup Jordan Cox sidelined by injury, Ollie Pope will take up the gloves.
All-rounder Ben Stokes will lead the side in the first Test at Hagley Oval. The bowling attack features a mix of experience and promise, with Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, and Brydon Carse forming the pace unit, complemented by spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Although England has been ruled out of contention for the ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s, New Zealand remains in the hunt. A clean 3-0 series sweep against England would secure their spot in the one-off decider.
The highly anticipated Test series begins on Friday in Christchurch and will later move to Wellington and Hamilton for the second and third Tests.
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope (WK), Ben Stokes (C), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir.
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