England Names 15-Man Squad for First Test Against New Zealand

Emilio Gay, James Rew and Sonny Baker are the three uncapped players in a 15-man England squad for the first Test against New Zealand next month. Ollie Robinson returns to the setup after a two-year absence. As part of the wash-up from the Ashes, England have a new selector in Marcus North – now confirmed – and vowed to pay more attention to county form. Gay, averaging 92 under North at Durham this season, and Rew, 22 years old and having already scored 12 centuries for Somerset, fit the bill in this regard. Which of the pair makes the final XI for the first Test – which begins at Lord’s on 4 June – remains to be seen with the only obvious vacancy in the top seven at opener. Ben Duckett has kept his place, having rediscovered his form at Nottinghamshire after a poor Ashes tour, but Zak Crawley has been dropped after early-season struggles with Kent. Ollie Pope also misses out, having made way for Jacob Bethell in Australia. Gay has been batting at No 3 in Division Two this season, but has past experience of the job, while Rew has chiefly been a wicketkeeper-batter in the middle order, making his runs in Division One. Rew opened for the first time in his career last week, against Glamorgan, only to make scores of four and zero. Baker is competing for the seam-bowling spots in the final XI, with the 22-year-old having taken 14 wickets at 26.21 for Hampshire this season. Brydon Carse is out injured and Jofra Archer will be given time to recalibrate when he returns from the Indian Premier League, meaning the attack will be refreshed. Rob Key, England men’s team director, said: “Emilio, James and Sonny have all earned their opportunities through consistent performances and have impressed us not only with their talent, but in high-pressure situations.” Surrey’s Matthew Fisher, unused during the Ashes after being called up mid-tour, has kept his place in the squad, but Matthew Potts misses out despite playing in Sydney. New ball duties appear likely to go to Robinson and Gus Atkinson unless Ben Stokes decides he wants a change of role with the ball. Either way, the return for Robinson is certainly eye-catching. The 32-year-old has been overlooked since the one-off Test in India in 2024, with his 76 wickets at 22 apiece trumped by concerns over his approach to fitness. A 15-man squad for a home Test match is excessive, but at least gives Stokes and the head coach, Brendon McCullum, plenty of options as they reset the side. Even the role of spinner remains open, England having retained Shoaib Bashir, but also recalled Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed as a more all-round option. On the appointment of North, who will seemingly be part of the selection panel rather than leading it, Key said: “Marcus stood out through his knowledge of the domestic game, his experience across different environments and the relationships he has built throughout county cricket over a long period of time.” North, who leaves Durham after six years as director of cricket, said: “Having spent the past several years working closely within the county game, I have seen first-hand the strength and depth of talent across the domestic system. “I’m looking forward to working closely with the counties in identifying, supporting and selecting players who can thrive at International level.”