(Reuters) – England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and was elected to bat first in the opening match of the three-Test series against New Zealand at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval on Thursday.
His decision was not surprising, given the greenish hue of the turnstiles on a warm, sunny day in New Zealand’s South Island.
“Usually the wicket just keeps getting better and better here the more cricket is played,” Stokes said.
“The grass is looking good, so I’m hoping I can get a new ball and make the most of it.”
New Zealand captain Tom Latham also said he would have chosen to bowl.
“I know if I can bat well in the first session things will get a little bit easier,” Latham said.
“It’s expected to be a hot day today so hopefully we can get through that and put some pressure on later.”
Kane Williamson missed the recent tour of India due to a groin strain and returned to the Black Caps squad after New Zealand’s sensational 3-0 win over the hosts.
Tim Southee, playing his 105th Test in the final series, was selected in a four-seam attack alongside debutant all-rounder Nathan Smith, Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke.
England gave Jacob Bethel his Test debut. The 21-year-old will be handed the cap by Warwickshire teammate Chris Woakes and will be playing the number three role in first-class cricket for the first time.
With wicketkeeper Jordan Cox injured, Ollie Pope takes up the gloves and the number six batsman is moved down the batting order, with Bethel coming in ahead of Joe Root, who will be making his 150th Test appearance. They will win the entire series and qualify for next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) finals.
For the first time, the two teams will compete for the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy, named after former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe and England batsman Graham Thorpe.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Nathan Smith, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke. England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, Ben Stokes (captain), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Kearse, Shoaib Bashir.
