The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a squad for the first Test against New Zealand on Wednesday, May 13. After a heavy 1-4 defeat in the Ashes last year, England have made seven changes to their Test setup, dropping regular stars Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope.
As expected, both Crawley and Pope failed to make the squad after their poor show in the Ashes. Emilio Gay and James Rew, who are included in the team for the first time, are expected to fight for Crawley's place in Ben Stokes' eleven for the Lord's Test.
Meanwhile, the experienced fast bowler Ollie Robinson has returned to the squad for the first time in two years. With Jofra Archer unavailable for the first Test due to his involvement in the IPL 2026, Robinson is expected to lead the pace attack with Gus Atkinson, Jos Tongue, and uncapped fast bowlers Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker.
England men’s managing director, Rob Key, talked about giving opportunities to new players in the first Test against the Black Caps.
“Emilio, James and Sonny have all earned their opportunities through consistent performances and have impressed us not only with their talent, but with the way they’ve gone about their cricket in high-pressure situations," Key said after announcing the squad. "It’s also great to welcome back players like Rehan, Matt and Ollie, who all bring different qualities and experience to the group."
The Three Lions hosts New Zealand in a three-match Test series starting on June 4 at Lord's.
England squad for 1st Test against New Zealand:
Ben Stokes (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew (wk), Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue
Jofra Archer unavailable for England vs New Zealand 1st Test
Rob Key confirmed that Jofra Archer's exclusion is due to the player's involvement in the IPL 2026. Archer is expected to be given extended leave after the IPL as Brendon McCullum's side looks to keep their pacer spearhead fully fit for the remaining two Tests against New Zealand.
“Jofra Archer is unavailable for the first Test. He continues to play in the IPL, and it is about building him up for red-ball cricket after a long six months on the road,” Rob Key said.
Archer took just nine wickets in three matches during the Ashes, but has been superb in the IPL 2026. He is leading the bowling charts for Rajasthan Royals with 15 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 24.33 and an economy rate of 9.12.
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