England Consider Baker for Lord's Test Debut

England have announced a slimmed-down squad of 12 for Thursday's first match against New Zealand at Lord's, postponing a decision on whether Hampshire's Sonny Baker will make his Test debut. The approach mirrors their strategy at the first Ashes Test when they announced both Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir before selecting Wood's extra pace. mchezo.co.za

Shoaib Bashir will play as the frontline spinner, having been preferred to Rehan Ahmed. Jacob Bethell is also fit after a finger injury and available to bowl if needed. McCullum supports Baker's 'full noise' approach, which could be particularly valuable depending on conditions at Lord's.