Toss New Zealand selected to bowl vs England

New Zealand captain Tim Southee opted to insert England for the second Test working – this time on a gray, blustery morning in Wellington and offered with a green-tinged Basin Reserve floor that’s anticipated to be at its liveliest early on.

Southee and his assault had been badly mauled within the pink-ball recreation in Mount Maunganui, conceding 325 at 5.57 an over and permitting England to dictate phrases for the remainder of the Test. But in additional beneficial situations, and with Matt Henry again after the delivery of his youngster to sharpen their edge, New Zealand had been aiming to land the primary blows at a floor the place they haven’t misplaced since 2017.

“Hopefully a bit of life in it but usually here we’re accustomed to a very good cricket surface,” Southee stated, earlier than confirming the inclusion of Henry and a recall for top-order batter Will Young. Scott Kuggeleijn and Blair Tickner, debutants within the first Test, each dropped out, with Southee indicating New Zealand would lean on Daryl Mitchell as their fourth seamer.

England had named an unchanged XI a time out from the beginning, with James Anderson and Stuart Broad each match to play on the Basin Reserve, 15 years from the primary outing of their now record-breaking partnership.

Ben Stokes confirmed that he would have made the identical alternative as Southee – it’s greater than a decade for the reason that aspect profitable the toss in Wellington has opted to bat first – however was bullish about his aspect persevering with with their ordinary proactive method in a bid to seal England’s first sequence win in New Zealand since 2007-08. “It presents us with an opportunity to get out there and get some runs on the board,” he stated.

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham, 2 Will Young, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Tom Blundell (wk), 8 Michael Bracewell, 9 Tim Southee (capt), 10 Matt Henry, 11 Neil Wagner

England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Ollie Robinson, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson