England won the toss and opted to field in James Anderson’s farewell Test at Lord’s, with Gus Atkinson vindicating the call as he bowled West Indies captain Kraigg Braithwaite off his second ball in Test cricket.
The Surrey quick has made an instant impact on his debut, going on to claim the wicket of Kirk McKenzie to leave the inexperienced West Indies middle-order exposed. The visitors are in a spot of bother at 36/2.
Chris Woakes is back into the mix for England after the demise of his father. He last played an international Test against Australia in July 2023 in the Ashes. Harry Brook returns at number five after missing the India tour due to personal reasons. Jamie Smith from Surrey will don the wicketkeeping gloves and debuts as England move on from Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes.
Teams:
West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Mikyle Louis, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Joshua Da Silva(w), Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson
What a start for Gus Atkinson and England 🔥
Kirk McKenzie falls for one 😬 pic.twitter.com/f89jiENR06
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 10, 2024