The hosts, England, have named two uncapped players in their final XII for the summer’s opening Test against New Zealand at Lord’s in London.
Opener Emilio Gay and pacer Sonny Baker have been picked for the series opener, while Ollie Robinson returned for the first time in over two years. Captain Ben Stokes is also back leading the team for the first time since the Ashes debacle, with veteran batter Joe Root ready to take centre stage. On the other hand, another of the Fab Four, Kane Williamson, is set for his last dance at the Home of Cricket.
Check England XII for the Lord’s Test –
Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue
With no Zak Crawley at the top following a shallow away Ashes, England roped in Durham batter Gay to open alongside Ben Duckett, with Baker also potentially earning his maiden Test call-up.
Praising the speedster, England head coach Brendon McCullum said, “Sonny Baker is quick. I think he’s going to be a cricketer the country really gets behind when he does play. He charges in, and he leaves everything out there. He’s full noise. He’s exciting. He swings the ball both ways, and he’s obviously got the ability to touch 90mph. He’s an exciting proposition, and his time, if it’s not in this Test, his time will come. If it is in this Test, I’d expect him to do a good job.”
With no Jofra Archer available for selection due to IPL commitments and Brydon Carse out with a finger injury, England brought back Robinson to lead the pace attack at Lord’s. Without revealing his final XI, McCullum commented on how the weather could determine the side that walks out for the first Test.
“There is a little bit of jeopardy around the conditions and the forecast over the next 48 hours,” McCullum said ahead of the Lord’s Test starting Thursday (June 4). “We have a strong understanding of what we think will be our XI, but we do want to have the ability to pivot if required, if the conditions turn out to be slightly different to what we anticipate.”
Kane’s ‘last dance’ at Lord’s
At 35, Kane Williamson might not play another Test at the Home of Cricket after this one and realising this, he said, “It’s always a special Test. I think if you look over your career, you only get…well depends on how long you play for… but yeah, I’ve played for a while, and you only get a handful of opportunities to come to Lords and play.
“I think the way they maintain the tradition is quite special. It’s unique to Lords; the history that surrounds it, the effort that goes into it, to all of that- you come here and you, you notice those differences to all other grounds,” he continued.