The tall, quick Tom Mayes tests Kane Williamson with some tight bowling and earns his first maiden in Test cricket.

Kane Williamson finds the third-man boundary - he's looking in fine fettle already.

Five runs from Mark Adair's second over.

A first over in Test cricket for Tom Mayes - it's a decent one although Devon Conway smacks straight down the ground for four to get off the mark.

Kane Williamson hits a four off the last delivery but it's a great first over from the Irish.

We've had the anthems and now the players enter the field - we're just seconds away from the first ball of the day.

Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie speaking to BBC Sport NI: "It will be a challenge. These guys [New Zealand] have played a lot of first-class cricket, a lot of Test cricket, and they'll certainly be going in as favourites," added Balbirnie.

"We just have to ask our boys to embrace it, don't look at as if you are playing New Zealand, just go out as if you're playing for your club team and enjoy it, and we'll see where we land at the end of Saturday.

"We're going to have to play tough cricket. There will be periods during the four days when we will be under pressure but as long as we come out of that pressure having thrown a couple of punches that's all you can really ask for."

Image source, Getty Images

We'll have a minimum of 98 overs each day with this being a four-day Test.

The morning session goes from 11:00 to 13:30, then it's 14:10 to 16:10 in afternoon and 16:30 to 18:30 for the evening session.

Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie speaking pre-match to BBC Sport NI:

"I don't want us to shy away from anything. They will naturally be more skilful than us but we have guys who are passionate about playing for Ireland and have their own skill set and we just have to expose that as much as we can over four days," explained the Ireland skipper.

"When we have those hours or two that we're winning we have to win those hours well and take the momentum whenever we can."

Ireland's participation in Test cricket has been sporadic at best and New Zealand captain Tom Latham believes they would benefit from greater exposure to that form of the sport.

"I think from a Test match point of view I guess the experience of playing more and more, you can only gain positive experiences from being in those situations.

"I think as cricketers the more first-class cricket you can play, it's where you hone your skills.

"We play eight first-class games a year back home, which isn't a huge amount, but it's obviously a little more than Ireland play."

Experienced Ireland batter Paul Stirling is a notable absentee from this week's Test because of a calf injury.

Stirling briefly fielded in this week's Emerald Challenge - a 'best of the best' first-class red-ball fixture for Ireland's men to prepare for the Test.

But the 35-year-old was not considered fit enough to bat in the four-day match and it is anticipated he could be out until the start of July.

Stirling has not batted since he suffered a knee ligament injury in Ireland's defeat by Australia at the T20 World Cup in February

"Paul has a grade two strain and his return to playing will be determined," Ireland coach Henrich Malan told a news conference last week.

"He obviously got injured at the World Cup, he's been on a return to play plan and it hasn't necessarily worked out 100% for him with a couple of niggles that's been lingering in and around that knee injury, which was obviously quite severe.

"Hopefully this one [with his calf] can be rehabbed properly. But it could be a four to five week job to ensure that he's fully fit and ready to go for the rest of the summer."

Image source, Getty Images

Reuben Wilson becomes Ireland's youngest men's Test player at the age of 19 while there's also Test debuts for Tom Mayes and Liam McCarthy.

New Zealand hand Dean Foxcroft his Test debut and they are boosted by the return of top batter Kane Williamson, who last played Test cricket six months ago.

Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie (capt), Stephen Doheny, Cade Carmichael, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, Lorcan Tucker, Mark Adair, Andy McBrine, Tom Mayes, Reuben Wilson, Liam McCarthy.

New Zealand: Tom Latham (capt), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Dean Foxcroft, Nathan Smith, Zak Foulkes, Blair Tickner, Ben Sears.

New Zealand skipper Tom Latham explained to BBC Sport NI that his side did not have much to work off in terms of seeing their opponents in action in the Test format.

"From an Ireland point of view there's not a huge amount of footage of Test matches so for us it's really important for us to adapt on the go and adapt to conditions as quickly as we can.

"We've been here playing ODIs and T20 cricket so we have experienced this part of the world, and these conditions, before.

"Fingers crossed, the weather remains sunny like this and we can get a full game in."

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie speaking to BBC Sport NI on Tuesday: "There is that special feeling when we get together as a group and we get the whites [for Test match cricket] and the baggy blue hats. You understand the history of the game when you do get those whites and you go out for a Test match.

"It's a real privileged position for us as players, and for me as a captain, to get these opportunities against some of the best players of all time.

"You look at Kane Williamson, the New Zealand batter, he is probably going to go down as New Zealand's best ever player.

"It's a real honour to play against guys like that but you also want to compete as well as you can against guys like that."

Image source, Getty

BBC Sport NI's Joel Bell caught up with those who were making the pre-match preparations at Stormont on Tuesday.

New Zealand captain Tom Latham says his side are "solely focused on this match" as they warm up for their forthcoming three-Test series against England.

The tourists go into the encounter in Belfast as heavy favourites in light of their position as the fifth-ranked team in the ICC rankings, against an Irish team which will be competing in the red-ball format of the game for just the 13th time and the first time against this opposition.

The four-day Test is Ireland's first on home soil since they defeated Zimbabwe at the same venue in July 2024.

New Zealand picked up victories against the West Indies and Zimbabwe in their most recent Tests in 2025.

"We're certainly not taking it lightly. We come here with a slightly different squad, some guys not being here through other commitments with franchise stuff," Latham told BBC Sport NI.

"But most of the guys in this group have played Test cricket and it's important to learn from those experiences.

"We are solely focused on this match and we're looking forward to what the next four days presents.

"We want to come here and display our skills as best we can and play our brand of cricket as best we can."

Good news for the hosts as they win the toss and skipper Andy Balbirnie opts to bowl first.

It is fair to say Ireland's fortunes in Test cricket have been mixed since they were made a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in June 2017.

They have played 12, won three and lost nine, with their last win coming in Belfast against Zimbabwe in July 2024.

While they regularly compete in T20 and one day internationals, Test matches are a rarity for Ireland as they lack the dedicated red-ball infrastructure to be able to consistently compete against some of the world's best nations.

They do not have the luxury of a domestic first-class ecosystem to produce players ready for the format with the most recent inter-provincial tournament played in 2019.

Ireland could get more Test fixtures if they are added to the ICC's World Test Championship as part of a much-discussed revamp of the structure for the longer format by the world governing body, but that is a conversation that will come further down the line.

For now, their focus will be trying to add a fourth victory to their record and a second in Belfast.

Read more of our preview of the one-off Test match here.

Welcome to our coverage as Ireland and New Zealand meet for the first time in Test cricket.

The weather is playing its part on this historic occasion with Stormont bathed in sunshine on day one in Belfast.

We'll bring you toss and team news in the build-up to the start of play.

Thanks for joining us.