The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday, May 13 unveiled England's 15-member squad for the opening Test of the upcoming three-game series against New Zealand, which is set to begin at iconic Lord's on June 4. Interestingly, opener Zak Crawley and former Test vice-captain Ollie Pope were dropped from the squad for the series opener. Meanwhile, England star pacer Jofra Archer, who is currently playing for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, was not available for selection.
Big step from ECB
In a release shared by ECB, England selected three uncapped players in their squad for the first Test. Durham batter Emilio Gay, Hampshire pacer Sonny Baker, and Somerset wicketkeeper-batter James Rew. Along with the new faces, Leicestershire spinner Rehan Ahmed, Surrey pacer Matthew Fisher, and Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson have also earned selections.
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“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," England Men's Managing Director, Rob Key said in a release.
“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. 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," Rob Key added.
Regarding Archer, who featured in the first three Tests of the 2025-26 Ashes series and secured nine wickets, Key confirmed that the star pacer was unavailable for the selection for the opening Test 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," revealed Key.
England's squad for first Test vs New Zealand
Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue
According to the update, the squad will gather for a training session at Loughborough in the week commencing May 24 and two players - Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell - who are currently playing in IPL 2026 will come back to England once their commitments with DC and RCB have concluded.