England drop Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope from Test squad: Details
What's the story
England have announced a 15-member squad for the first Test against New Zealand, starting June 4. The match, scheduled at the iconic Lord's ground, is part of the three-match series under the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship (WTC). The team sees three uncapped players in Durham's Emilio Gay, Hampshire's Sonny Baker, and Somerset's James Rew. While Ben Stokes returns as the Test skipper, batters Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope have been dropped.
Takeaways
A look at key takeaways
The England Test squad also sees the return of Rehan Ahmed, Matthew Fisher, and Ollie Robinson. Robinson, who last played for England in 2024, owns 76 Test wickets at 22.92. England Men's Managing Director Rob Key confirmed that Jofra Archer will miss the Lord's Test. The latter is currently with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2026. Jacob Bethell, who is with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will also fulfill his IPL commitment before joining the Test squad.
Key's comments
Key's statement on squad selection
Rob Key is confident about the squad's potential. Announcing the squad, he said, "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." "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."
Details
Full squad and series details
England squad for 1st Test: 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, and Josh Tongue. After the series opener at Lord's, the 2nd Test will begin at Kennington Oval from June 17. Trent Bridge will host the final game from June 25. The squad will report for a training camp at Loughborough in the week starting May 24.