Dom Sibley to make England Test debut against New Zealand

Dom Sibley will make his England debut in the first Test against New Zealand at
Mount Maunganui.

Skipper Joe Root refused to reveal the team in his final press conference on Wednesday but, just a couple of hours later, England confirmed they will be unchanged from the side that drew a three-day warm-up in Whangarei.

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Warwickshire batsman Sibley was the only batsman in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship to go past 1,000 runs this year, scoring 1,324 runs for the Bears.

The 24-year-old also made a century in England’s opening tour match against a New Zealand XI and will now partner former Surrey team-mate Rory Burns at the top of the order.

Sam Curran has been preferred to fellow seam-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes, while Ollie Pope will make his first Test appearance in 15 months – and third overall – at No 6.

New Zealand have resisted the temptation to hand paceman Lockie Ferguson – who bagged 21 wickets at the World Cup – a Test debut, instead sticking with established trio Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.

Root ‘not concerned’ by batting form

Root’s batting average before taking the England captaincy stood at 52.80 from 53 Tests but that has slipped to 40.81 in his 33 matches as skipper.

Despite that statistic, Root – who will drop down to No 4 for the New Zealand series having batted at No 3 in the Ashes – insists it is not something he is unduly concerned by.

Root said: “No, I’m not concerned by it. I know I’ve not performed as I’d have liked in previous series – probably over the last year – but they are the challenges you face as an international player.

“It could have been exactly the same if I wasn’t captain. I’ve gone away and worked on a few things and think my game is in good order.

“That’s all part and parcel. I’ve been through it before at different points of my career when I probably under-performed in my own mind.

“But I feel like a strong enough character, I still have the desire and desperation, to get back to where I was a couple of years ago and hopefully beyond that.”

England XI: Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Joe Denly, Joe Root (captain), Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad

New Zealand XI: Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Kane Williamson (captain), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, BJ Watling (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult

Watch day one of the first Test between New Zealand and England, in Tauranga, live on Sky Sports Cricket (channel 404) and Sky Sports Main Event (channel 401) from 9pm on Wednesday.

(c) Sky Sports 2019: Dom Sibley to make England Test debut against New Zealand