New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against England here at Lord’s on Wednesday.
The Kiwis have won only one out of the 17 Tests they have played at Lord’s in their 90-year cricket history in England. Their lone victory came in 1999 under Stephen Fleming’s captaincy. They have lost eight and drawn eight matches.
England is missing some of their top stars. Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer (both due to injuries), Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow (all rested after Indian Premier League) are not playing the first Test giving Kiwis an opportunity to win only their second Test at the home of cricket.
Teams:
England:
Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Zak Crawley, Joe Root (captain), Daniel Lawrence, Ollie Pope, James Bracey (wicketkeeper), Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson
New Zealand:
Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wicketkeeper), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner.
