The series is level at 1-1 and the weather could play a big role in Nottingham, where unseasonably British temperatures of 31C (88F) are forecast and a dry surface looks good for the batsmen.
England are trying to stabilize after the crisis caused by captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson who spent the night after winning the first Test at Lord’s.
They were dropped for the second Test – won convincingly by the Kiwis last week – but were recalled for Nottingham, with Stokes taking over the captaincy from Joe Root. Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is back from paternity leave and Shoaib Bashir is on offer as a spin option, replacing pacer Sonny Baker.
New Zealand have lost two key players – opener Matt Henry and middle-order batsman Glenn Phillips – to injury, while pacer Kyle Jamieson has been rested to shoulder his workload after recent back problems. Spinner Mitchell Santner came in, along with openers Blair Tickner and Ben Sears, who have seven Test caps between them.
Teams:
England: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Sears, Will O’Rourke.
