England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening match of a three-test series against New Zealand at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Thursday. His decision was unsurprising given the tinge of green on the wicket on a warm and sunny day in the south island of New Zealand.

England won the toss and chose to bowl first in the first Test at Christchurch, on a green-tinged pitch but under clear skies, with the prospect of a hot day in the field if New Zealand can negotiate the early movement against the new ball.

England won the toss and chose to bowl against New Zealand on Thursday on the first day of the first test at Hagley Oval. The Black Caps come into the series following their 3-0 series win at India. They were the first team to sweep India in a home series of three tests or more.

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Welcome to the live coverage of 1st Test (Day 1) of England tour of New Zealand, 2024. Match will start at 03:30 AM