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ENG vs NZ 1st Test: England and New Zealand's predicted starting lineups at the Lord's Test originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Shoaib Bashir returns as England's first-choice spinner against New Zealand after missing the entire Ashes.
- Uncapped Emilio Gay replaces Zak Crawley, who lost his spot after a poor Ashes series.
- Ollie Robinson earns his first England recall in over two years for the Lord's Test.
England name 12-man squad for New Zealand test opener at Lord's
England's 12-man squad for Thursday's first Test against New Zealand at Lord's has been named.
Shoaib Bashir has been restored as the primary spin option after the 22-year-old off-spinner had not pulled on an England Test shirt since last July's third Test against India at Lord's.
Despite returning to fitness well before the Ashes tour began, Bashir was left out for every single Test of the series as England were beaten 4-1.
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Head coach Brendon McCullum remained firm in his backing of the Somerset spinner and insisted England's belief in his ability remains fully intact and that his absence in Australia was due to tactical reasons.
"What we've seen since he made the shift in county and been able to get game time under his belt – we know he's an immensely talented cricketer, and he just needs more and more opportunity," said McCullum.
"You can only do so much in the nets. Playing cricket for a young spinner, being able to work through situations and scenarios, to get some game time under his belt over the last little while has been hugely beneficial.
"He's growing at quite an amazing speed, not just in his spin bowling, but even just his presence, and his overall athleticism."
MORE: IPL vs National Duty: Making sense of the Jofra Archer decision as RR pacer misses ENG vs NZ 1st Test
England’s probable XI and starting lineup for the first Test vs New Zealand
Zak Crawley has been dropped after his struggles throughout the Ashes, with uncapped opener Emilio Gay handed the opportunity to stake a claim at the top of the order.
Jacob Bethell, meanwhile, has been passed fit following a finger injury and will bat at number three in a home Test for the first time in his international career.
MORE: England squad for New Zealand 1st Test
Ollie Robinson has been brought back into the England setup for the first time in well over two years, and with the Lord's surface reportedly set to favour pacers. England are without Jofra Archer, who remains occupied with IPL commitments, and Brydon Carse, who is currently sidelined after breaking his wrist.
England's probable XI
- Ben Duckett
- Emilio Gay
- Jacob Bethell
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Jamie Smith
- Ben Stokes
- Ollie Robinson
- Gus Atkinson
- Josh Tongue
- Shoaib Bashir
New Zealand’s probable XI and starting lineup for the first Test vs England
The big news for New Zealand is that Mitchell Santner has returned to the Kiwi squad and is available for selection.
New Zealand probable XI
- Tom Latham (capt)
- Tom Blundell (wk)
- Devon Conway
- Zak Foulkes
- Matt Henry
- Kyle Jamieson
- Daryl Mitchell
- Henry Nicholls
- Will O'Rourke
- Glenn Phillips
- Rachin Ravindra
- Mitchell Santner
- Kane Williamson
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