England. Photo- Getty
England. Photo- Getty

The England and Wales Board (ECB), on October 29, 2024, has announced a 16-member England squad for the three-Test series against New Zealand.

The series will begin at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on Thursday, November 28, with the next two Tests beginning at Wellington on December 6 and Hamilton on December 14.

New Zealand ranks fourth in the ICC World Test Championship points standings, with a victory percentage of 50.0. They trail India (62.82), Australia (62.50), and Sri Lanka (55.55).

The other two teams in contention for the final are South Africa and Pakistan. England, Bangladesh, and the West Indies have all dropped out of contention for the World Cup final. As a result, beating England at home will increase New Zealand’s chances of reaching the final.

Jacob Bethell earns maiden England Test call-up as Jamie Smith misses out

Jacob Bethell, a Warwickshire batting allrounder, has been called up to the Test team for next month’s tour of New Zealand, replacing Jamie Smith, who will miss the entire trip due to paternity leave.

Jordan Cox, who was an unused batting reserve before being drafted into the Caribbean white-ball squad, is expected to make his Test debut as a wicketkeeper, replacing Smith.

“Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith will miss the tour as he takes paternity leave for the birth of his first child, with Jordan Cox in line to take on wicketkeeping duties and the opportunity of winning his first Test cap,” ECB statement read.

Bethell, who turned 21 earlier this week, made a strong impact in his white-ball debuts against Australia in September, scoring a match-winning 44 off 24 balls in the second T20I in Cardiff. However, he has only played 20 County Championship games in his career and has failed to reach a first-class century.

Bethell’s participation is the only change to the 16-man squad that suffered a 2-1 series defeat in Pakistan last week.

“The 21-year-old, an attacking left-handed batter and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, made his England white-ball debut this summer in both IT20 and ODI formats against Australia. Bethell is currently with the England white-ball squad in the Caribbean and, along with Rehan Ahmed and Jordan Cox, will join the Test team following their commitments against the West Indies,” the ECB statement read.

England squad for New Zealand Test series:

Ben Stokes (C), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell,  Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox (WK), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach,  Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes

Schedule for NZ vs ENG Test series:

1st Test: NZ vs ENG, 28 November-2 December 2024, Hagley Oval, Christchurch

2nd Test: NZ vs ENG, 6-10 December 2024, Basin Reserve, Wellington

3rd Test: NZ vs ENG, 14-18 December 2024, Seddon Park, Hamilton

Also Read: Kane Williamson To Miss The Third Test Between India And New Zealand As Well