England have named a 12-man squad for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand at Lord's, starting Thursday, with a decision on whether to hand Hampshire's Sonny Baker a Test debut delayed until the last minute. The approach mirrors the first Ashes Test last November, when England announced a 12-man squad before opting for Mark Wood's extra pace.
Shoaib Bashir has been preferred to Rehan Ahmed as the frontline spinner, while Jacob Bethell is fit after a finger injury and available to bowl if needed. The final XI will depend on the weather forecast, with Baker likely to replace Gus Atkinson only if the weekend forecast clears.
England head coach Brendon McCullum said: 'We've got a very good idea of the XI we want, but we want to see how the weather plays out. We'll work out whether we want the extra airspeed if it becomes 35C and flattens out, or stick to what's tried and tested at Lord's with bowlers who extract movement in overhead conditions.'
Atkinson has taken 19 wickets at an average of 10.94 in two previous Tests at Lord's, and scored a century against Sri Lanka in 2024. Baker, 23, made his T20 and ODI debuts last summer with mixed results. McCullum described him as 'full noise' and 'an exciting proposition', adding: 'If it's not this Test, his time will come.'
