England recall Robinson, hand first Test call-ups to Gay, Rew and Baker

England have opted for upside over caution for the first Test against New Zealand, recalling Ollie Robinson from a two-year international exile and handing maiden Test call-ups to Emilio Gay, James Rew and Sonny Baker in a 15-man squad for Lord’s.

The selection, which includes seven changes from the Ashes group, strips out Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope and brings back Rehan Ahmed and Matthew Fisher as well as Robinson. It is a clear signal that England are prepared to carry some volatility into the opening match of the three-Test series, starting on Thursday 4 June 2026, in search of a more penetrative and flexible red-ball attack.

Robinson’s return is the most striking call. He last played a Test in 2023 and had been out of England’s plans since the fallout from the 2021 Cricket Discipline Commission case over historic offensive tweets, when he was suspended for eight matches, with five suspended for two years, and fined £3,200. England have now judged that his seam movement and control are worth the baggage, especially in home conditions where Lord’s can reward disciplined pace bowling.

The three uncapped players underline a deeper bet on emerging talent. Gay, 26, was born in Bedford on 14 April 2000 and came through Northamptonshire before moving to Durham. Rew, 22, has moved even faster: Somerset say he made his first-class debut in July 2022, scored a maiden fifty in that match and a maiden century in the next game, and the ECB had already called him into a Test squad in May 2025 as injury cover for Zimbabwe. Baker, the Hampshire quick, first entered an England Men squad in 2025 after impressing for England Lions, the Vitality Blast and The Hundred, and was later handed a first central contract for 2025-26.

Taken together, the squad suggests England are searching for more than cover. Gay and Rew are direct competition for Crawley’s place at the top of the order, while Baker gives the selectors another high-ceiling seam option to pair with Robinson and the returning Ahmed and Fisher. That blend points to a side willing to take a calculated risk on youth and pace rather than lean on familiar, safer combinations.

The squad will report to a training camp at Loughborough in the week commencing 24 May, with New Zealand arriving for a tour that begins at Lord’s and opens with a rematch of the recent 2024-25 series in New Zealand, which England won 2-1. England have chosen to attack the next chapter with a narrower margin for error and a much higher ceiling.