The key questions facing England ahead of the Test summer with New Zealand series looming

Five months on from the 4-1 Ashes defeat, England return to Test match action on home soil with a three-match series against New Zealand, beginning at Lord’s on June 4.

In what would be an otherwise fairly low-key summer on paper against the Kiwis and later Pakistan, has now become a rather significant one as the brains trust look to get support back on side following a fourth failed attempt to beat Australia or India.

England have not lost a home series in the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era, but a typically under-rated New Zealand side will no doubt provide stern opposition having warmed-up with a comprehensive victory over Ireland in a one-off Test.

It was on the Black Caps’ last Test visit in 2022 that Bazball was announced to the world in thrilling fashion and McCullum will be hoping to inspire another similar upturn in results that was set in motion after his arrival.

This time though there is baggage, and plenty of it, as they look to restore some positivity and demonstrate a better version of themselves with lessons of the past learned.

Expectations will be high for two series wins but even that may not be enough to turn the tide for many until the opportunity comes around again to prove themselves in the bigger series.

For exclusive stories and all the detailed cricket news you need, subscribe to The Cricket Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day

FOLLOW OUR LIVE SCORES CENTRE

Will Bazball evolve?

England refrained from making any wholesale changes in the fallout from defeat in Australia – a change at the top of the order and with the new ball is perhaps just enough to show an awareness that the pack needed shuffling.

Despite all the media scrutiny, McCullum has been entrusted to remain and lead another post-Ashes rebuild, alongside captain Stokes.

The task at hand being to shift both a philosophy and culture that he has spent the past four years so bullishly embedding within the England environment.

It is a remarkable display of faith given how badly England’s preparation and skillset were exposed in a series in which McCullum’s entire tenure had seemingly been geared towards – the general consensus is that he is extremely fortunate to have survived a review of all the contributing factors to that failure.

So can we expect to see a new and improved Bazball 2.0, or whichever version this comes under after multiple shortcomings in the high-profile series?

McCullum recognised the need to better handle pressure and be ruthless in the big moments, despite a previous commitment to remove any pressure and eradicate the fear of failure.

From a ‘run towards danger’ mantra instilled to playing smart cricket and being more robust is the challenge, while still preserving that underlying aggressive intent.

Both Baz and his players need to demonstrate an ability to adapt. His focus on creating good vibes was well-intended but now focus on the technical and mental aspects must come to the fore.

How will Emilio Gay fare?

There is always an excitement mixed with a tinge of nerves watching someone make their Test debut and there is no better place for Durham’s Emilio Gay to do so than at the Home of Cricket at the beginning of an international summer.

With Rob Key and McCullum remaining in post, Zak Crawley paid the price for another poor return and a sustained period of loyalty eventually came to an end.

Crawley and Ben Duckett have been England’s settled opening partnership for the vast majority of McCullum’s time in charge, with a large amount of success in that time as well, but the time for a change felt necessary.

Gay, 26, has been a beneficiary of England’s attempt to reconcile their relationship with the county game, scoring 552 runs in six County Championship matches this season at an average of 78.85, including a century at Lord’s against Middlesex at the start of May.

An elegant stroke-maker, not too dissimilar on the eye to Pakistan captain Shan Masood, it will also provide a new dynamic at the top with two left-handers.

His first assignment is certainly a tricky one against a very strong New Zealand pace attack led by Matt Henry, who certainly had the number of Gay’s predecessor when these two sides last met in Test cricket, with an imposing support cast of Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke and others.

Patience will be key as Gay navigates his first foray into Test cricket but there is no hiding place as an opener.

Can Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith rediscover form in the Test arena?

Duckett and Jamie Smith hold enough credit in the bank to justify surviving hugely disappointing Ashes campaigns, though both will be under the spotlight and feel unable to afford a slow start to the series with Somerset’s James Rew waiting in the wings.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Duckett produced that superb 149 against India in the first Test of last summer and Smith blitzed a century of his own in the second.

For all Duckett’s perceived faults, his record at home is unquestionable, averaging 48.96 in 18 matches.

Smith, who will continue with the gloves despite difficulties in Australia, likewise averages 54.41 across his 12 Test appearances in England and is expected to move up to No.6 in the order.

The attacking style of the pair is naturally much more suited to the benign pitches served up in England over recent years.

Both also have a number of County Championship games under their belt in the build-up, scoring plentiful runs in the process but the challenge and expectation will now ramp up.

How many runs will Joe Root chip away from Sachin’s record?

Another home summer has arrived for English fans to cherish watching England’s greatest in action while they can, not that Joe Root is showing any signs of slowing down.

After finally putting to bed his century drought in Australia over the winter, England’s leading batter in Test cricket now has 13,943 runs to his name, with every likelihood the 35-year-old will become only the second player ever to surpass the 14,000-run mark this week at Lord’s.

He still has some way to go to catch Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record at 15,921 but with six home Test matches on the horizon, there is the opportunity to eat away at that deficit.

What role will the captain play?

Like McCullum, there were some doubts around the future of Stokes but the hunger clearly remains to finish the job he started.

The good news is that Stokes is fully fit after recovering from a serious facial injury suffered during an indoor coaching session in February, featuring twice for Durham in the County Championship last month.

It is understood the skipper will drop down the order to No.7 which is no surprise given his declining form with the bat – his century against India at Manchester last summer was his first in over two years.

The 34-year-old rather bizarrely seemed to contradict his own approach during the Ashes where he ended the series with a notably low strike rate of 36.58, as well as the lowest average of all the recognised batters.

His influence with the bat may be waning somewhat but he certainly remains a valuable threat in the England bowling attack (fitness dependent).

In 2025, Stokes recorded an impressive 33 Test wickets at 23.12 and took the new ball in his first outing for Durham against Worcestershire this season.

As ever, his workload will be a fascinating subplot to an England series but this summer is not set to be as intense as others with two spaced out three-match series to contend with.

Can Stokes roll back the years with his batting in the lower order or will he continue to have more of a decisive impact in his primary attribute as a bowler in the side?

Is Ollie Robinson the answer?

An enigma of English cricket, Ollie Robinson is set to return to the Test side for the first time since early 2024.

Despite a stellar Test record of 76 wickets at 22.92, many would have assumed the ship had sailed on his England career after concerns around fitness and a rocky relationship with team management.

But after a period of exile, Robinson has the opportunity to be the attack leader, having previously played alongside James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

He feels he has become physically and mentally stronger in his time away, whilst also embracing a leadership role at Sussex.

England’s focus on hostile pace for the Ashes backfired and was made to look rather foolish when Scott Boland and Michael Neser got to work with the keeper up to the stumps, whilst the tourists lacked any sense of control as balls were frequently delivered short and wide.

Robinson should provide the sort of accuracy and discipline England were desperate for, as well as the ability to nip the ball both ways, whilst also allowing the likes of Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer, when available, to operate in sharp wicket-taking bursts.

The 32-year-old was the obvious candidate to share the new ball with Gus Atkinson, though Sam Cook could consider himself perhaps a little unfortunate not to get another crack, whilst squad members Sonny Baker and Matthew Fisher will likely just act as understudies.

Robinson immediately finds himself as the experienced head with the chance to make his mark on this transforming pace unit – the acid test being can he sustain his speeds in the low 80’s over the course of an innings and series to be as effective as possible?

Which spinner will England turn to?

Another glaring issue Down Under was England’s decision to overlook the spinner they had invested so heavily in, in favour of parachuting in Will Jacks to strengthen the batting depth.

Jacks did a job in conditions not conducive to spin but has not been selected in the first Test squad, with England instead going back to Shoaib Bashir and calling-up Rehan Ahmed.

Two spinners very different in nature, one a tall floating off-spinner and the other a flat skiddy leg-spinner.

Should England had wished to go down a route of a spinner who can bat during the course of the summer, then Ahmed was the clear choice for a home Test debut as a flamboyant X-factor pick, but it is Bashir who gets the nod to prove himself.

Bashir has the edge in bowling 200 overs for Derbyshire this season, whilst Ahmed has missed most of Leicestershire’s Division One season to sit on the bench at the IPL.

Jack Leach seems to have played his last game in an England shirt and Liam Dawson announced his first-class retirement soon after the squad was announced, whilst other options in the county circuit such as Jack Carson and Liam Patterson-White were overlooked this time.

While some selection dilemmas have been answered in the short-term, England’s spin conundrum still appears a little unclear moving forward.

READ MORE: England v New Zealand Test series preview – Ben Stokes leads a new-look side against the Kiwis