England Opt to Bowl as Three Debutants Feature Against New Zealand at The Oval
England Opt to Bowl as Three Debutants Feature Against New Zealand at The Oval as Root leads a youthful England side.
England opted to bowl first in the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval after Joe Root won the toss. Play was held up for half an hour because of light morning drizzle, but after captain Root’s winning toss, England were keen to take full advantage of the conditions.
It will be Root’s first Test captaincy for England in over four years as he steps in as a still-temporary skipper. England have also made many changes after their Lord’s win with five changes to the playing XI and three Test debuts.
With the order also including young talents in James Rew, Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker earning their first Test caps, the selection certainly rang true to England’s pledges of introducing new blood. Rew was a late inclusion in the team after regular wicketkeeper Jamie Smith was placed on paternity leave following the birth of his daughter.
At the toss, Root said: “We’re backing the new guys and we’ve got a lot of excitement coming in with those new players. The game is modestly capped too given that England are also all the way down to their least experienced Test side for decades.
New Zealand captain Tom Latham, who said he would have also liked to bowl first, remained positive on the batting conditions. They made one big change by dropping a recently retired Kane Williamson to No. 3 in the visitors’ batting order with Henry Nicholls taking his place.
It’s a huge void for New Zealand, who have enjoyed similar first-class success since Williamson’s retirement. New Zealand vice-captain Latham said Williamson had left a big hole and it was an emotional week for the group with Williamson leaving behind a huge legacy in New Zealand cricket.
Nicholls is back into the Test side after a limited number of opportunities through the past couple of years. However, he comes in with a bit of swagger after scoring an unrivaled 150 in his latest Test. Fast bowler Matt Henry has also been retained after finding full fitness following a back injury suffered during the first Test.
The second Test has all the makings of a fascinating contest, as England look to blood some new faces and New Zealand also continue to adjust after Williamson’s departure at The Oval.
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