England consider Test debut for fast bowler Sonny Baker against New Zealand
England are weighing up a Test debut for fast bowler Sonny Baker in Thursday’s series opener against New Zealand at Lord’s following their recent Ashes defeat.
Head coach Brendon McCullum has indicated the 23-year-old is competing for a place in a revamped pace attack.
Josh Tongue and the returning Ollie Robinson are expected to occupy two of the seam bowling slots.
This leaves the Hampshire quick going head-to-head with Gus Atkinson for the final bowling berth.
Pace and passion catch the eye
Atkinson boasts an exceptional record at the home of cricket, having taken 19 wickets at an average of 10.94 in his two previous appearances.
However, Baker’s superior speed and skiddy bouncers have brought him firmly into contention as management assess a mixed weather forecast.
The hosts are already blooding one newcomer in opener Emilio Gay for their first outing since the conclusion of a difficult Ashes campaign five months ago.
“He’s quick, and I think he’s going to be a cricketer that the country really gets behind. You can see he charges in and leaves everything out there.”
Brendon McCullum, England Head Coach
The head coach praised the young prospect’s deep passion for the game, describing his high-energy style as full noise.
McCullum also noted that the right-armer possesses the ability to touch 90 miles per hour and swing the ball both ways.
Bouncing back from white-ball struggles
If selected, the paceman will be hoping for a change of fortune following punishing international debuts in both limited-overs formats.
The fiery seamer conceded 76 runs in his solitary one-day international against South Africa and shipped 52 runs during his only Twenty20 appearance against Ireland.
Despite still awaiting his maiden international wicket, a lively start to the county season has convinced the national hierarchy of his resilience.
“He’s one of those customers that learns from tough experiences, and I think it strengthened him to be honest. I feel like he’s come back a better, stronger, and more complete cricketer.”
Brendon McCullum
The 43-year-old manager believes those early setbacks have ultimately forged a much tougher competitor.
Conditions to dictate final selection
The final decision between raw pace and proven Lord’s pedigree will depend heavily on the overhead conditions and pitch assessment later this week.
A flatter pitch under hot weather could heavily favour the extra air speed provided by the inexperienced speedster.
Alternatively, overcast skies may tempt the hosts to stick with their tried and tested bowlers who can naturally extract movement from the famous London slope.
Regardless of whether the selection comes this week, management remains adamant that the promising talent’s time will eventually come.