06/25/26 04:49:00
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06/25 04:47 CDT New Zealand wins toss and bats first in deciding test against
England as Stokes returns
New Zealand wins toss and bats first in deciding test against England as Stokes
returns
NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) --- New Zealand won the toss against England and opted
to bat first in the third and deciding test at a sweltering Trent Bridge on
Thursday.
The series is tied at 1-1 and the weather might have a big role in Nottingham,
where uncommon temperatures in Britain of 31 C (88 F) are forecast and a dry
surface looks good for the batters.
England is attempting to steady itself after a crisis brought about by captain
Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson having a night out after the first-test
win at Lord's.
They were dropped for the second test --- won convincingly by the Kiwis last
week --- but have been recalled for Nottingham, with Stokes reclaiming the
captaincy from Joe Root. Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is back from paternity leave
and Shoaib Bashir is in as a spin option, replacing pacer Sonny Baker.
New Zealand has lost two key players --- strike bowler Matt Henry and
middle-order batter Glenn Phillips --- because of injury, while pacer Kyle
Jamieson is rested to manage his workload after recent back problems. Spinner
Mitchell Santner came in, along with rookie seamers Blair Tickner and Ben
Sears, who have seven tests between them.
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Lineups:
England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie
Smith, Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib
Bashir.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin
Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair
Tickner, Ben Sears, Will O'Rourke.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
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