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Cricket World Cup: England have handed a debut to uncapped youngster Jacob Bethell as they named their playing XI for the opening Test of the three-match series against New Zealand, starting on Thursday at Hagley Oval.

Bethell's inclusion in the XI came on the back of some strong recent form during white-ball series against Australia and West Indies and will bat at No.3 on debut.

While Bethell is relatively inexperienced against the red ball and has never made a first-class century, the 21-year-old did finish as England's second leading run-scorer during the 2022 edition of the ICC Men's Under 19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies with 205 runs at an average of 34.16.