London, June 2 (IANS) England have named uncapped batter Emilio Gay and fast bowler Sonny Baker for their 12-man squad for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. The opening Test of the English home summer, which commences on Thursday, marks the beginning of a crucial rebuilding phase following England’s dismal 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.

England men have named a 12-player squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which begins on Thursday at Lord’s.

“Durham top-order batter Emilio Gay and Hampshire pace bowler Sonny Baker, who are yet to be capped, are included. Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson returns to the England Test squad for the first time since February 2024,” England Cricket Board said in a statement.

The debutants in the squad are Durham top-order batsman Gay and Hampshire pacer Baker, and Ollie Robinson of Sussex returns to the Test setup for the first time since February 2024.

Archer will not feature as he currently has a time out following six months on the road, is currently in Barbados, and will not be arriving in England until after the first Test match. He may be available for the second match of the series starting June 17.

England head coach Brendon McCullum insisted a cautious approach would be taken with the paceman. “Jofra, we need to assess,” McCullum told BBC Sport. “He’s having a little bit of a break at the moment. “We’ve seen in the past that we can leave Jof to his own devices, work on his game, and follow a plan that has been set. He turns up having followed that plan to a tee.

“When we see him, we’ll work out where he sits and if he’s available for the second Test. If not, we’ll look at the third Test.”

Archer spent six months at the Rajasthan Royals’ IPL campaign, until they lost in the playoff stages. Archer is one of many to be impacted by the tournament in terms of his preparation for the Test summer.

Despite Archer’s absence, Jacob Bethell was withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to a finger complaint. Bethell withdrew early from the 2026 edition of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad due to his finger injury. He is in line to play at the Lord’s.

In the squad announcement, it was noted that Brydon Carse suffered a fractured wrist during the IPL. He attended the Loughborough training camp with England and will not be appearing in the New Zealand series.

The squad has been shortened from 15 members to 12 for the opening match of the series against the Kiwis. England spinner Shoaib Bashir is back in the fold after missing out during the Ashes campaign, and Robinson provides extra experience in the pace attack alongside Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue.

England XII for the first Test against New Zealand:

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.

–IANS

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