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LONDON: Emilio Gay and Sonnie Baker are set to make their debuts as England announced the squad for the first Test against New Zealand.
The first Test will begin on 4 June at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Stadium.
Both opener Gay and fast bowler Baker feature for Durham and Hampshire in the County Championship, while Ollie Robinson is also set to return after a two-year hiatus.
Meanwhile, Shoaib Bashir, who remained out of contention in the Ashes 2025, has also been included in the trimmed squad. The off-spinner’s last Test appearance came against India in 2025.
The players left out of the original 15 squad are James Rew, legspinner Rehan Ahmed, and fast bowler Matt Fisher.
Head coach Brendon McCullum revealed the notion behind Bashir’s inclusion, noting that conditions did not favor him during the Ashes.
“We firmly believe in Bash as an international cricketer,” England head coach Brendon McCullum told BBC Sport.
“When I look back to why he wasn’t required in Australia, it wasn’t to do with how the ball was coming out of his hand per se, we just felt the conditions were not conducive to spin bowling – as did Australia,” he added.
“We remain hugely confident and optimistic about Bash as a cricketer and the role he can play for us.
Regarding Sonnie Baker and Gus Atkinson’s selection, McCullum hinted that they will assess conditions to finalize the playing XI
“We’ll just work out whether we want the extra air speed, if all of a sudden it becomes 35 degrees and flattens out. Or we stick to what’s tried and tested at Lord’s and remain with more of the type of bowlers that’ll extract some movement with some overhead conditions,” he concluded.
Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Ollie Robinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir.
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