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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

England XI for first New Zealand Test revealed as Anderson and Broad return

James Anderson and Stuart Broad will once again take the new ball for England in the first Test of the summer, with the pair both named in the side that will take on New Zealand at Lord's on June 2.

The duo return to the team after being controversially dropped for the recent tour of the West Indies and will be joined by Durham star Matty Potts, who has been handed a Test debut. Potts has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, picking up 35 wickets at 18.57 in the County Championship and has now been rewarded with an England cap.

The 23-year-old has been selected ahead of Craig Overton, with spinner Jack Leach and new captain Ben Stokes rounding out the bowling attack. Potts has only played once at Lord's in a Hundred match for Northern Superchargers, having been rested for Durham's recent game against Middlesex, and he is "very excited" to be making his debut at the Home of Cricket.

"I was rested for the County Championship match here but I've had a couple of spells out in the middle to get used to the slope, get my head around what lengths and what areas and hopefully translate that into the game," he said.

"It's nice to get a few overs under the belt - I'm really excited and will start narrowing it down tomorrow and the day before the Test and get ready to play. There is a little difference in the intensity but I'm honestly looking to change nothing about what's got me here.

"I'm just going to run in and bowl hard, bowl my areas and see if that works. It would mean everything to make my debut at the Home of Cricket.

Stuart Broad and James Anderson will take the new ball for England in the first Test of the summer against New Zealand (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

"This wasn't at all on the radar at the start of the year so it would be a great moment for me and the family - the pinnacle of cricket, at the Home of Cricket. I'm really looking forward to it and we'll see what the next couple of days hold."

"It's the same game. You run in a bowl with a red ball, you bowl at a batsman. We'll see how [my game] reacts to the pressure but I'm just going to go in and do my thing if I get the nod.

"I've had two chilled-out weeks, bowling a few overs and just fine-tuning everything. I was a bit on simmer but now I'm raring to go and very, very excited." Yorkshire's Harry Brook, meanwhile, has missed out on a Test debut with Jonny Bairstow moving up to five after scoring two hundreds in his last four Tests.

England XI: Zak Crawley (Kent), Alex Lees (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Jack Leach (Somerset), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), James Anderson (Lancashire)

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