Key events
Toss: NZ put England in
The toss has taken place! Tom Latham wins it and says he’ll have a bowl, as most captains would under these leaden skies. That makes it an even bigger moment for Emilio Gay, who has just been presented with his England cap by Alastair Cook. They both went to the same school, Bedford. Are they also members of the same school of batsmanship? We’ll soon see.
The first email of the day comes from Tim Harnedy. “Oh my God the radar,” it begins. “Looking at the deluge making its way up the M4 towards London, I’m not sure how much use it is asking for help finding a way listening to Test Match Special over here in Ireland, but any hints gratefully accepted.
“Ireland didn’t provide a particularly stern test for New Zealand in the match at Belfast, but the weather was better. Maybe England should visit for a match sometime?”
They certainly should.
Preamble
Morning everyone and welcome to the first Test of the English summer. Ashes, what Ashes? There’s a lot to look forward to here.
It’s the 150th Test at Lord’s, the first ground to reach that milestone. The next one looks like being Melbourne, some time in the 2040s, so here is one facet of cricket where England still rules the world.
It’s a reboot for our old friend Bazball, which is now going to be “slightly smarter” (according to Baz McCullum) or “a lot smarter” (according to Ben Stokes). As in Australia, these two seem to be singing from half of the same hymn sheet.
It’s a big moment for Emilio Gay, who will make his debut for England and open the batting in place of Zak Crawley, the only head to roll after a sobering winter. It may be an even bigger moment for Ollie Robinson, the prodigal seamer, as he walks into the last-chance saloon.
It’s the biggest series for New Zealand since they last faced England in December 2024. They’ve played only six Tests since, but they’ve brought a strong squad, stuffed with seasoned batters and talented bowlers. Their last big series away from home went quite well: they beat India 3-0.
It’s all set to be a great occasion. But have you seen the weather forecast? Bad for today, even worse for Saturday, bad again for Monday. If a bit of water could just be allowed to seep through the covers, it might be the only hope of a result.
The toss is at 10.30am (BST), at least in theory.
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