Fulton set to make 'long drawn' debut at 'hallowed' Lord's

New Zealand cricketer Peter Fulton is finally set to make his debut at Lord's at the grand old age of 34, during the first Test against England on Thursday.

According to Stuff.co.nz, although Fulton had come close to gracing the home of cricket by being named the 12th man in the series-clinching ODI tour of England back in 2008, he had slunk away from the tour feeling robbed and cheated and with an inkling he might never feature again in a black helmet.

However, the report added, Fulton's dual centuries in Auckland in March in the drawn series against England ensured not only cricketing cult hero status in New Zealand, but also a place in the squad for the re-Test and a chance to make up for the disappointment of 2008, although at that time, he was only selected for the third Test at Nottingham.

According to Fulton, he had experienced butterflies in his stomach as his call was quite a close one, adding that he had thought that he had lost his opportunity to play a Test again in England after the 2008 fiasco.

However, Fulton said that he is not nervous anymore for his 14th test despite the regal venue, where he is set to open the innings with teammate Hamish Rutherford, adding that although he is pleased to perform at the hallowed ground, at the end, people will remember his performance instead of the place.

Although Fulton did not score as expected in the warm-up games, he said that his performance lagged because of the poor net practice, although he said that he is confident about his performance at Lord's.

How Fulton and Rutherford cope with a fired up England attack which largely flopped in the New Zealand tests will be a key factor here as the tourists look to continue momentum from the 0-0 series draw, the report added.