New-look England brace for NZ series | Daily News

New-look England brace for NZ series

Joe Root (left) shake hands with Kane Williamson
Joe Root (left) shake hands with Kane Williamson

England face-off against New Zealand in a two-match Test series, with the opening Test getting underway at Lord’s today.

England will aim to blood some younger players while New Zealand will have one eye on the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Test regulars Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran have all been rested for the series by England.

Other core players, like Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, are currently recovering from respective injuries.

Ben Foakes, who was set to don the gloves in Buttler's absence and make his debut in home conditions will also miss the series due to a freak injury. In the absence of so many key players, it'll be interesting to see the combination their Skipper Joe Root decides on.

New Zealand, meanwhile, will see the series as the perfect opportunity to tune-up for the inaugural WTC final against India in Southampton, starting on June 18.

New Zealand have a settled unit, with the only senior pacer Trent Boult missing for the two-match series.

In his absence, Tim Southee will likely share the new ball with all-rounder Kyle Jamieson. The Kane Williamson-led side could also hand Test debuts to opener Devon Conway and batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra. (ICC)