Christchurch (New Zealand): England have named their playing XI for the first Test against New Zealand and English cricketer Jacob Bethell will get his Test debut. Captained by Ben Stokes, England will face the Blackcaps in the opening clash of the red-ball series taking place at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The visitors have announced their playing XI with a combination of experience and youth. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will be opening the innings and can boost the net run rate for the team at the top order.
Jacob Bethell to make Test debut against New Zealand
England have handed Test debut to the young lower-order batter Jacob Bethell for the Test match. In the 30 first-class innings so far, he has struck 738 runs at a modest average of 25.44. However, with England adopting the Bazball theory, Bethell is the latest entrant who can play the role of an aggressive stroke-make in red-ball cricket.
✅ Test debutant
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 25, 2024
✅ A change at No. 3
Our XI for the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch is here 👇
Bethell will bat at the number three while dropping Ollie Pope to the sixth position. Along with batting in the middle order, the 21-year-old will also keep wickets. Joe Root, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes will play a pivotal role in the batting unit while Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir will play a key role in the bowling department.
England’s Playing XI for first Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes (Captain), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir.
