Zak Crawley dropped as England announce squad for first Test versus New Zealand

England have announced their 15-member squad for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand, set to commence on June 4 at Lord’s. Opening batter Zak Crawley has been dropped from the squad after a string of failures over the last couple of seasons.

32-year-old seam bowler Ollie Robinson returns after a two-year exile from the setup, and the uncapped trio of Emilio Gay, James Rew and Sonny Baker have been named to the squad. The Ben Stokes-led squad also sees the return of fast bowler Matthew Fisher and leg spinner Rehan Ahmed in a substantial shake-up after the debacle in the 2025-26 Men’s Ashes.

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has been called up to the squad despite not getting any game time during the Ashes, as England favoured the all-round abilities of Will Jacks over him.

“We’ve selected a squad that we believe has a really exciting blend of proven international quality, strong county form and players with huge potential to develop at Test level,” Rob Key, England Men’s Managing Director, said in an official statement.

The major axes include Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, who both had dismal showings in Australia in the winter. Gay is expected to slot in over Crawley, coming off a brilliant season in the County Championship for Durham, scoring 552 runs in eight innings at an average of 92.00. England’s starlet Jacob Bethell cemented himself at number 3 over Pope with his century at the SCG against Australia in the fifth Ashes Test.

But perhaps the most significant talking point is the return of Robinson, who was axed from the setup after the 2024 tour to India, citing fitness concerns along with other issues. He has a fantastic Test record with 76 wickets in 37 innings at a stunning average of 22.92.

His return comes as part of England’s bid to find a metronomic pace bowler who could function as the leader of the attack, as the Three Lions look to progress from the retirements of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes. Speedster Jofra Archer has not been named in the squad as England are trying to ease him in and manage his workload for Test cricket.

“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 added.

“It’s also great to welcome back players like Rehan, Matt and Ollie, who all bring different qualities and experience to the group. Competition for places remains incredibly strong and that’s exactly where we want to be as a Test team. 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,” he stated.

The squad will report for a training camp at Loughborough on May 22, as reported by the BBC. Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell will join the squad after the completion of their IPL commitments with the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, respectively.

England squad for first Test vs New Zealand:

Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue