England and New Zealand are ready to lock horns in the opening Test, scheduled to begin on Thursday at the iconic Lord's. With this series, England will start their journey of rebuilding following a painful Ashes defeat in Australia. The 4-1 loss against Australia exposed a lot of weaknesses in a side that had been known to play with a fearless approach under the "Bazball" philosophy. Now, the challenge for them is to restore confidence and overcome the past disappointments.

In the aftermath of Ashes defeat, England have taken bold decisions, dropping long-time opener Zak Crawley, who has paid the price for a disappointing run of form. Ollie Pope continues to miss out after losing his place during the Ashes. This time, England have opted for fresh faces. Harry Brook remains one of the most dependable batters and continues to be a cornerstone of England's plans. Joe Root, meanwhile, will be vital for England at Lord's, having built an extraordinary record over the years. England's recent performances at home will also bring some sense of encouragement.

Since 2023, Lord's has been their fortress because rarely have they been put under pressure here. Ben Duckett comes in in excellent touch after a prolific domestic season, and young Jacob Bethell is fit to take his place in the batting order despite concerns over a finger injury picked up during the IPL recently.

On the other hand, New Zealand are brimming with confidence. The Black Caps have had a strong start to the current World Test Championship cycle and sit comfortably among the leading contenders for a place in the final. They are coming off a crushing victory over Ireland. Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell have been in fiery form, scoring magnificent centuries against Ireland. Notably, Kane Williamson is expected to make his final Test appearance at Lord's. 

Head-to-head

Matches - 115

ENG won - 54

NZ won - 14

England likely XI: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir

New Zealand likely XI: Tom Latham (c&wk), Henry Nicholls, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, William O’Rourke