Daryl Mitchell not playing: New Zealand have left an all-rounder who had scored a century in his last Test against Pakistan.
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During the first day of the first Test of the ongoing New Zealand’s tour of England at Lord’s, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has won the toss and chose to bat on a wicket which should favour the batsmen especially due to the prevailing weather conditions.
“There’s always a few things to consider here. Looks like a reasonable surface. [Preparation] It’s been mixed in terms of the weather. Guys have been working really hard. The focus is on this series. We know how strong this England side is. It’s about trying to stick to our plans as best we can,” Williamson told Sky Sports Cricket at the toss.
Unlike New Zealand, England will take the field with a four-man pace attack which has no place for a specialist spinner. While captain Joe Root didn’t provide any rationale behind an all-pace attack, an extra layer of grass on the surface hints at reasons behind the same.
“We would have batted as well but we have an opportunity to make use of some fresh green grass on that wicket. It’s great to have a crowd in – really special for everyone involved. Jack Leach misses out and we’re going to play four seamers,” Root told Sky Sports Cricket at the toss.
Why is Daryl Mitchell not playing Lord’s Test vs England?
As far as the combination for the visitors is concerned, they have included a couple of all-rounders in Colin de Grandhomme and Mitchell Santner. The development means that all-rounder Daryl Mitchell will have to sit out despite scoring a century in his last Test. The move is a bit surprising as de Grandhomme hasn’t Test cricket since March 2020.
59.1 – Devon Conway becomes the 281st player to represent the @BLACKCAPS in men’s Test cricket, he has the highest T20I batting average (59.1) of any of the 528 players to play 10+ men’s T20I innings. Transition. pic.twitter.com/UKuV5Hzsmu
— OptaJason (@OptaJason) June 2, 2021
Additionally, New Zealand have also handed a debut to batsman Devon Conway. Set to open the batting alongside vice-captain Tom Latham, Conway has pinned down the likes of Tom Blundell and Will Young on the back of top form in other formats at the highest level.
