ENG vs NZ 2026: ‘Thankful to have a proper debut’ – Sonny Baker opens up on eventful Test debut

England seamer Sonny Baker expressed his elation at having a proper debut during England’s second Test against New Zealand at the Oval. Baker is one of three players, alongside Jordan Cox and James Rew, debuting after the fallout of Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson’s nightclub incident after the win at Lord’s.

Baker made his debut for England in early September 2025 in an ODI against South Africa, recording horrific figures of 0 for 76 from seven overs. He made his T20 debut against Ireland later that month, finishing with figures of 0 for 52. He put up a better showing during his Test debut, finishing the first day with figures of 2 for 63 from 15 overs.

“Awesome, could you tell? I’m so thankful to have a proper debut that is reflective of where I’m at. My biggest learning from the Ireland debut was I felt like I wasn’t being myself,” Baker said, as reported by BBC Sport.

Baker’s first wicket in international cricket came in his seventh over, when he had Rachin Ravindra nick one to Jacob Bethell at gully. He followed it up with the wicket of Daryl Mitchell, who mistimed a pull to Emilio Gay at short mid-wicket.

“I’m the biggest carry-on ever. Surely I should get stuck in, oohs and aahs if the ball beats the bat, super excited, a long follow-through every time that happens. That’s just how I am. I made a big commitment to myself coming into this, of that’s how I want to be and go about things. That’s me, so I might as well be authentic,” he said.

After his tumultuous white-ball debut, Baker spoke of the nerves he felt on the occasion, which impacted his performances on the day. He spoke of feeling nervous ahead of the game, and until being handed his cap on the day. He was told of his debut days earlier and was able to mentally prepare himself due to the relaxed nature of the team environment.

“Even last night I was struggling to eat, and fuelling as a fast bowler is super important. This morning I felt the anxiety build up in my stomach.  I was pretty honest with people that I was pretty nervous going into the day. Once you start warming up, everything goes away and you get stuck in. It’s actually been great. The lads have tried to put that behind us and deal with the situation as it is. The relaxed nature of the environment really helps from a nerves point of view,” he added.

New Zealand finished the day on a score of 291 for 7 in 77 overs after being put into bat. Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Blundell top-scored with 51, and Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten on 49.