Uncapped pair Emilio Gay, Sonny Baker in England’s 12-man squad for Lord’s Test

Uncapped pair Emilio Gay, Sonny Baker in England's 12-man squad for Lord's Test

England have trimmed their squad to 12 for the first home Test against New Zealand at Lord's, starting Thursday (June 4). The three players omitted from the initial 15-man selection are Somerset batter James Rew, leg spinner Rehan Ahmed, and Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher.

England squad: Ben Stokes (C), Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue

Two uncapped players – Durham's top-order batter Emilio Gay and Hampshire pacer Sonny Baker – are in the final 12 and could debut at Lord's. Gay's inclusion follows the dropping of opener Zak Crawley after a poor Ashes series.

Head coach Brendon McCullum praised Baker: "Sonny Baker is quick… he charges in and leaves everything out there. He's full noise, exciting, swings the ball both ways, and can touch 90mph."

Shoaib Bashir is set to return to the XI after missing Tests since July last year due to a broken finger. McCullum expects him to play a holding role early before shifting to attack later.

With Jofra Archer unavailable due to IPL commitments and Brydon Carse recovering from a wrist injury, Ollie Robinson is retained in the 12. He last played a Test in February 2024.

McCullum kept his final XI flexible, given rain forecasts: "There's a little bit of jeopardy around conditions… we do want the ability to pivot if required."

England have swapped batting positions, moving Jamie Smith up to No. 6 and Ben Stokes down to No. 7. Smith averages 44 at No. 6 compared to 38 lower, while Stokes averaged just 18 in the last Ashes.