England name Gay, Baker and Robinson in 12-man squad for Lord’s Test against New Zealand

England have initially named a 12-man squad for the first Rothesay Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, with opener Emilio Gay in line for his Test debut and fast bowler Sonny Baker also competing to make his international bow. Also included in the squad are pacers Matt Potts and Ollie Robinson who is set to feature in his first Test since July 2021.

The panel trimmed the original 15-man squad by leaving out Somerset’s James Rew, leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed and fast bowler Matt Fisher. The last place in the playing XI will be finalised on Thursday morning with Gus Atkinson and Baker batting it out.

Brendon McCullum, the England head coach, implied that final selection may hinge on fitness tests when conditions at Lords are assessed. With the forecast suggesting levels of overcast conditions, England might choose bowlers who can swing it in the air rather than guns-only speeds.

McCullum said, We are very happy with the group that we’ve got. We also of course are confident in what we are going to choose. We want to keep what we think is going to be needed in these conditions against this opposition.

One of the prominent talking points ahead of the match is that Emilio Gay is part of the squad. The top-order batter shone in domestic cricket and is now poised for his first Test cap. On the other hand, Baker’s inclusion in the full squad reflects England’s willingness to gamble on young emerging players as they work towards establishing strength and depth within their ranks.

Shoaib Bashir, a spinner who missed the England Ashes series, is also likely to be back in the XI. But Bashir, who was part of England’s A tour to Australia in the winter, will be a key player according to McCullum: “As the game goes on there’s going to be opportunities with him at Lord’s.

McCullum said, “Bash can turn more into a holding role in the first couple of days and then start going on day three as the pitch deteriorates.

The 12-man squad features captain Ben Stokes as well as Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Sonny Baker alongside Shoaib Bashir. Soft Launch — England will start their series against New Zealand at the world-famous Lord’s Cricket Ground.

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