England name two uncapped players

England have included two uncapped players in their 12-man squad for the first Investec Test against New Zealand beginning next Thursday at Lord's.

Yorkshire batsman Adam Lyth is set to make his debut next week when he opens the batting alongside England captain Alastair Cook.

The 27-year-old was selected on his first senior England tour last month but did not feature in the drawn three Test series against West Indies. Durham pace bowler Mark Wood, who made his ODI debut against Ireland last week, is the only other player uncapped at Test level included in the squad.

"Adam Lyth has waited patiently for an opportunity with England having performed consistently for Yorkshire and England Lions in the last year," said national selector James Whitaker.

"He fully deserves his chance to cement a place in the side at the top of the order. Mark Wood has also impressed and his pace and style of bowling ensure the coach and captain have options in the bowling attack. 

"There were some positive signs during the recent Test tour and it is key that this group of players learns from the instances when the opposition was put under pressure and we were in a position to press for victory but couldn't quite manage it.

"New Zealand are a very talented side and I expect a very competitive series between the two teams to start what will be an incredibly exciting summer of cricket. Good luck to Alastair, Paul Farbrace and the rest of the squad."

The squad will meet up on Monday 18 May to prepare for the 1st Test.

Next week marks the 100th Test between the two teams.

The first series was played in New Zealand in 1930 and with England winning the four match series 1-0. The teams last met in a Test series in 2013 with England winning the two match series 2-0.

Meanwhile, New Zealand's preparations for the first Test suffered a setback when the first day of their tour match against Worcestershire was washed out.

One week out from the first Test at Lord's, the Black Caps were forced indoors by rain which arrived before the scheduled start at the New Road ground in Worcester on Thursday and didn't relent.

Conditions are forecast to improve for the remainder of the four-day game. New Zealand won their first warm-up game, beating Somerset by 66 runs in Taunton.

England Test squad: Alastair Cook (Essex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Gary Ballance (Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Mark Wood (Durham).