Bashir, Robinson recalled to England squad for first Test v New Zealand

England's Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed with head coach Brendon McCullum during the practice session. Reuters

England announced their 12-player squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which begins at Lord's on Thursday.

Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue.

• Shoaib Bashir has been picked as first-choice spinner despite not featuring in the entire Ashes series.

• Ollie Robinson makes his return to the Test squad for the first time since February 2024 while spinner Rehan Ahmed has been dropped.

• Two uncapped players, top-order batsman Emilio Gay and fast bowler Sonny Baker, were included.

• Zak Crawley has been dropped following his poor performance during the Ashes while fast bowler Jofra Archer has been left out after featuring in the recent Indian Premier League.

• England are playing their first test series since losing the Ashes 4-1 to Australia.

• England are playing a three-test series against New Zealand with matches at The Oval and Trent Bridge to follow later this month.