England begin their summer Test series against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday, aiming to put the disappointment of the Ashes thrashing behind them. Captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum faced intense scrutiny after the 4-1 defeat in Australia, but this three-match series offers a chance to bounce back. England won the last series in New Zealand 2-1 in 2024, though they lost the final Test by 423 runs.
Joe Root is a strong candidate for England's top scorer, with an average of 53.47 against New Zealand and six centuries in 21 Tests. He has scored five centuries in his last 10 matches and is the highest run-scorer in Test history at Lord's. Betting odds place him at 3/1 to be England's top scorer, with a specific bet at 23/5 with BetVictor.
Ollie Robinson returns to the England side after a two-year absence, surprising many including former player Stuart Broad. His Test record of 76 wickets at an average of 22.92 from 20 matches is impressive. Against New Zealand at Lord's, he took seven wickets in 2021 and has 13 wickets in three matches overall. He is priced at 29/10 with BetVictor to be England's top bowler.
England are favourites at 4/5 to win, while New Zealand are 23/10. The last Test at Lord's between these sides in 2021 saw England win by five wickets, with Root scoring an unbeaten 115. New Zealand have not won a series against England since 2021, losing two and drawing one of the last three.
England squad: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Ollie Robinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir. New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears (travelling reserve), Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
