Picking the England XI for the first New Zealand Test
Four Wisden writers pick the England XI they would like to see line up in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, which starts on June 2.
The first Test of the English summer is always fervently awaited – beyond the wait for England’s return to the longest format, there’s also the excitement of trying to work out who makes the XI.
After a tough winter there are places up for grabs, and with players rested and injured, there is much room for debate over the make-up of the England XI.
Four Wisden writers have decided on the England teams they would like to see take the field in the first Test, and you can pick your preferred XI here.
Phil Walker, WCM editor-in-chief
Anderson and Broad are in – it’s the Lord’s Test. After them, any two from four legit options. I’d hold Mark Wood back for Edgbaston, where it’s more likely to reverse swing, and go with Olly Stone, who I saw bowl fast and straight in tricky conditions at Chelmsford and was splice-botheringly good in the Chennai Test in March. That leaves Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson. Overton last autumn at Lord’s looked like an international bowler: quick enough, relentless, in-your-face. He is the outstanding county cricketer of his time, is having another belting season, and he bats at No.8, which is essential in this team. He gets the nod. (I’m not playing a spinner.) Burns is in form and plays, Sibley isn’t but plays anyway (just), Crawley reverts to No.3, and Lawrence and Pope, in that order, comprise the engine room. James Bracey, a much-needed leftie in this team, debuts and keeps at No.7.
Ben Gardner, Wisden.com managing editor
I’ve gone for the same top seven as the rest, but not without plenty of deliberation. I’m intrigued, as everyone is, by Haseeb Hameed, and also by the idea of Sam Billings, Test wicketkeeper. I would also be surprised if England’s first-choice top three, all averaging low thirties, can survive 12 consecutive Tests against the best three sides in the world. But for the moment this is the best England do.
Onto the bowlers, and it’s especially tough on Jack Leach to leave him out after being one of the few to emerge from a tough winter with credit, though one benefit is that an all-quicks strategy could well be the way to go in Australia, a finger-spinners’ graveyard, and this will give a chance to see how it will work in practice. On the fast bowlers themselves, while there is an appeal to picking one of Olly Stone or Mark Wood to give balance to the bowling attack, in England there’s rarely a need for speed, and four supremely skilful seamers operating in the mid-to-low 80s should do the job just fine. This also gives the chance to compare Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton side by side, to see which of the county tear-ups is most likely to be able to make the step up.
Jo Harman, WCM magazine editor
The batting picks itself, but it’ll be interesting to see how much pressure James Bracey can exert on the incumbent openers. If the debutant can make an impact at No.7 and Sibley (eight single-figure scores in his last 12 Test knocks) or Burns (averaging 9.75 in his last eight Tests) continue to struggle, he could well earn himself a promotion to the top of the order when Jos Buttler returns for the India series.
Selecting the bowlers is far trickier. I hate not picking a spinner for a Test match but only six wickets have fallen to spin in four Championship matches at Lord’s so far this season so the unfortunate Leach makes way, with Root and Lawrence filling in as required. Anderson and Broad play – no question – and Wood just edges out Stone in the battle of the express quicks (with Stone playing the next game at Edgbaston). Then it’s Overton or Robinson. This is flip of a coin stuff, really. Based on their county form, they both deserve to play, but I can only find room for one. Perhaps Overton is the more sensible pick, given his superior batting, but Robinson has been banging the door down for longer and by all accounts has made a big impression on England’s batsmen in the nets during his long stints in the bubble. This feels like his time.
Taha Hashim, Wisden.com features editor
Haseeb Hameed is back! It really is a great story, but I’ll let him just soak in the atmosphere from the sidelines for now. From there, it’s really just the bowling attack that needs sorting and I still want a proper, frontline tweaker in there. So Jack Leach takes his spot – despite a quiet season so far, he bowled well in frosty conditions at Lord’s in April to take third-innings figures of 3-18 against Middlesex. Anderson and Broad can share the new ball, but I want some spice from my third quick. Hello, Olly Stone. He bowled beautifully in India and has control to go with the fire. It’s a long tail, I know – but I’m backing James Bracey to get a few on debut.
