James Anderson received a tremendous applause as the players lined up for the anthems ahead of the first Test between England and West Indies at Lord’s. The hosts won the toss and opted to field, with Gus Atkinson vindicating the call as he bowled Kraigg Braithwaite off his second ball in Test cricket.
The Surrey quick has made an instant impact on his debut while Chris Woakes is back into the mix after the demise of his father. He last played a Test for England 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
Gus Atkinson strikes with his second ball in Test cricket 🤩
Kraigg Brathwaite departs for six 😬 pic.twitter.com/uMBA1jVXZk
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 10, 2024
