England weigh Test debut for Baker with weather in mind

England have announced a 12-man squad for Thursday's first Test against New Zealand, with Brendon McCullum backing Baker's aggressive "noise" approach. The decision mirrors last November's Ashes selection where both Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir were included before Wood was chosen for his extra pace.

Bashir will play this time, preferred over Rehan Ahmed as the frontline spinner, while Jacob Bethell is fit after a finger injury and available to bowl if required. Gus Atkinson could feature if conditions are less hot at Lord's. cat-cross.com