{"id":176081,"date":"2026-06-02T20:09:45","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T01:39:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=176081"},"modified":"2026-06-02T20:09:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T01:39:45","slug":"england-fast-bowler-sonny-baker-pushing-for-test-debut-at-lords-against-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=176081","title":{"rendered":"England fast bowler Sonny Baker pushing for Test debut at Lord\u2019s against New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"content-body-71053540\">England could hand a Test debut to fast bowler Sonny Baker when it faces New Zealand in Thursday\u2019s series-opener at Lord\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>The 23-year-old is in contention to feature in England\u2019s first Test since its 4-1 Ashes drubbing in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Josh Tongue and the recalled Ollie Robinson appear likely to take two of the seam-bowling places, leaving Baker vying with Gus Atkinson for a spot in the team.<\/p>\n<p>Atkinson has an impressive record at Lord\u2019s, with 19 wickets at just 10.94 in two previous Tests at the London ground, as well as a century against Sri Lanka, but Baker\u2019s greater speed makes him an attractive option.<\/p>\n<p>Opening batter Emilio Gay is due to make his debut and an uncertain weather forecast could work in Baker\u2019s favour if there is a prospect overs might be lost in the first of a three-Test series.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s quick,\u201d England coach Brendon McCullum said at Lord\u2019s on Tuesday. \u201cI think he\u2019s going to be a cricketer that the country really gets behind. You can see he charges in and leaves everything out there. Some guys have a bit more of a rhythmical component to their style\u2014I think Sonny is full noise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The former New Zealand captain said Baker had the ability to touch 90 miles (145 kilometres) per hour, with a skiddy bouncer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s an exciting proposition and, if it\u2019s not in this Test, his time will come. If it is this Test, I\u2019d expect him to do a good job,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll just work out whether we want that extra air speed, if all of a sudden it becomes 35 degrees and flattens out, or if we stick to what\u2019s tried and tested at Lord\u2019s and remain with the type of bowlers that will extract some movement with the overhead conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Baker, who has played two white-ball matches for England and was expensive in both, is yet to take an international wicket but has made a lively start to the county season with Hampshire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s one of those customers that he learns from tough experiences,\u201d said McCullum. \u201cI think it strengthened him to be honest. We certainly don\u2019t judge it from that point of view. I think it was a nice lesson for Sonny and I feel like he\u2019s come back at a better, stronger, and a more complete cricketer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"publish-time\" id=\"end-of-article\">Published on Jun 02, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sportstar.thehindu.com\/cricket\/eng-vs-nz-sonny-baker-test-debut-lords-conditions-brendon-mccullum-new-zealand-tour-of-england-2026\/article71053540.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>England could hand a Test debut to fast bowler Sonny Baker when it faces New Zealand in Thursday\u2019s series-opener at Lord\u2019s. The 23-year-old is in contention to feature in England\u2019s&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":176082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-176081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780450786_image2011.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":176026,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=176026","url_meta":{"origin":176081,"position":0},"title":"England squad for first Test against New Zealand: Shoaib Bashir, Ollie Robinson recalled","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England announced its 12-player squad for the \u200bfirst Test against New Zealand, which \u200cbegins at Lord\u2019s on Thursday. Shoaib Bashir has been \u200cpicked \u2060as first-choice spinner despite \u2060not featuring in the entire Ashes series. Ollie Robinson makes his return \u200bto the \u200cTest squad for the first time since February 2024\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780439791_image2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780439791_image2013.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780439791_image2013.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780439791_image2013.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780439791_image2013.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":174368,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=174368","url_meta":{"origin":176081,"position":1},"title":"IRE v NZ\u2014 Latham pleased with win as New Zealand downs Ireland ahead of England Tests","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"May 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"New Zealand captain Tom Latham praised batter Tom Blundell and bowler Nathan Smith as \u200bthe Black Caps warmed up for their first Test against \u200cEngland at Lord\u2019s next week with a \u200bone-sided victory over Ireland in Belfast on \u2060Friday. The touring side won by an innings and 79 runs after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP05_29_2026_000175B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP05_29_2026_000175B.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP05_29_2026_000175B.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP05_29_2026_000175B.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP05_29_2026_000175B.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":173288,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=173288","url_meta":{"origin":176081,"position":2},"title":"England expects Jacob Bethell to be fit for New Zealand opener","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"May 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"England said on Wednesday that they expect Jacob Bethell to be fit for next week\u2019s first Test against New Zealand at Lord\u2019s after the top-order batsman suffered a finger injury playing in the Indian Premier League. The left ring finger injury prompted the 22-year-old to cut short his IPL campaign\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP01_07_2026_000087A.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP01_07_2026_000087A.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP01_07_2026_000087A.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP01_07_2026_000087A.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP01_07_2026_000087A.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":173432,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=173432","url_meta":{"origin":176081,"position":3},"title":"Ravindra, Blundell hit centuries as NZ meets Ireland for first time in Tests","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"May 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell hit centuries as New Zealand recovered from losing two early wickets to reach 361-5 at Stumps on the opening day of its first-ever Test match against Ireland on Wednesday. Ravindra fell to Harry Tector\u2019s spin after scoring 121 runs. Blundell scored 142 not out. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Cricket_5419_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Cricket_5419_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Cricket_5419_.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Cricket_5419_.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Cricket_5419_.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":173719,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=173719","url_meta":{"origin":176081,"position":4},"title":"Pacer Nandni Sharma makes India debut against England in first women\u2019s T20I","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"May 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Nandni Sharma made her international debut for India Women in the first T20I against England Women at Chelmsford on Thursday, adding another chapter to her rapid rise after a breakout Women\u2019s Premier League season. The 24-year-old right arm medium fast bowler from Chandigarh earned her maiden India call-up after a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PTI01_14_2026_000616A.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PTI01_14_2026_000616A.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PTI01_14_2026_000616A.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PTI01_14_2026_000616A.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PTI01_14_2026_000616A.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":174256,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=174256","url_meta":{"origin":176081,"position":5},"title":"IRE vs NZ, one off Test: Tickner strikes as New Zealand thrashes Ireland ahead of England series","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"May 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Blair Tickner took his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket as New Zealand hammered Ireland by an innings and 79 runs in a one-off match in Belfast on Friday. The comprehensive victory saw New Zealand win with more than a day to spare in a match that was only scheduled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=9"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Test_Cricket_28479.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Test_Cricket_28479.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Test_Cricket_28479.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Test_Cricket_28479.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Ireland_New_Zealand_Test_Cricket_28479.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgnRh4-JO1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=176081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/176082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=176081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=176081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=176081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}