England have named a 12-man squad for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's with Sonny Baker pushing for a debut. The 23-year-old fast bowler is competing with Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, and returning seamer Ollie Robinson for the seamers' spots, with head coach Brendon McCullum considering whether to prioritize extra air speed or traditional Lord's movement.

Shoaib Bashir has been confirmed as the spinner, winning the selection battle with Rehan Ahmed for the lone spin role. The 22-year-old has served as England's No 1 spinner since 2024 but missed time due to injury. McCullum expects Bashir to play a holding role initially before transitioning to an attacking approach as the pitch begins to spin, praising his ability to control the game's pace.

Emilio Gay will make his Test debut opening the batting after scoring 552 runs at an average of 78.85 in County Championship this season. Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell is fit to play at No 3 despite cutting short his IPL with a finger injury, with McCullum confident the youngster has the mental fortitude to handle the step up to international cricket after his century in the final Ashes Test. England look to bounce back from their 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia.