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Ollie Robinson’s exile over as England name squad for Black Caps at Lords

Wednesday, 13 May 2026

Robinson, 32, has 83 Test wickets at 22.9, but was dropped two years ago after a tour of India amid long-running injury issues and a sense that he did not see eye-to-eye with the management (file).
Robinson, 32, has 83 Test wickets at 22.9, but was dropped two years ago after a tour of India amid long-running injury issues and a sense that he did not see eye-to-eye with the management (file).

Ollie Robinson’s long exile from the England Test squad is over after he was selected to face New Zealand next month, while Emilio Gay will replace the discarded Zak Crawley.

Robinson, 32, has 83 Test wickets at 22.9, but was dropped two years ago after a tour of India amid long-running injury issues and a sense that he did not see eye-to-eye with the management. But with 17 wickets at 26.2 this summer as high-flying Sussex captain, he has been recalled.

Durham’s Gayhas beaten competition Asa Tribe, Ben McKinney and Dom Sibley to open in place of Crawley.

Elsewhere, England have selected both Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed as spin options. There is also a maiden Test call for fast bowler Sonny Baker, while James Rew is selected, as back-up batsman and wicketkeeper, with Jamie Smith taking the gloves.

The squad is only for the first Test at Lord’s on June 4 and does not include Jofra Archer, who has not played red-ball cricket since the third Ashes Test (file).
The squad is only for the first Test at Lord’s on June 4 and does not include Jofra Archer, who has not played red-ball cricket since the third Ashes Test (file).

The squad is only for the first Test at Lord’s on June 4 and does not include Jofra Archer, who has not played red-ball cricket since the third Ashes Test. He is at the Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals and, assuming he is fit, will return for the second Test. In his absence, and with doubts about Gus Atkinson’s workload after he was ruled out of Surrey’s meeting with Yorkshire this week because of concussion, there is a place in the squad for Matthew Fisher, another Surrey quick.

This is England’s first squad announcement since a dismal Ashes tour, which they lost 4-1. However, the set-up’s key powerbrokers – coach Brendon McCullum, captain Ben Stokes and managing director Rob Key – have all kept their jobs, As revealed by Telegraph Sport, Marcus North has been brought in as national selector. His first squad is a tweak, rather than overhaul.

Gay has made 552 runs for Durham this season, including three centuries, backing up a decent Lions tour that was ended by injury and a strong 2025, when he made four hundreds and a 99, despite his county being relegated from Division One. He bats No 3 for his county, but is an opener by trade.

Gay will open with another Northamptonshire product Ben Duckett, who ripped up a contract with Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League to focus on the championship, and has since scored more than 500 runs for Nottinghamshire, including a double-hundred against Surrey on Monday.

It brings an end to Duckett’s long-standing partnership with Crawley, who is dropped with an average of 31 in 64 Tests. Crawley had a mixed Ashes, starting with a pair in Perth and finishing with scores of 0 and one in Sydney, but also looking composed at times. His inconsistency has caught up with him, as well as a desperate start to the county season with Kent, for whom he has averaged less than 20 without a half-century in five matches.

At this stage it is unclear which of Bashir and Ahmed is likely to play the first Test. Selecting both allows England the option of a spin-bowling all-rounder at No 8 or a specialist spinner, depending on what conditions require. Bashir has made a promising start to life with his new county, Derbyshire, but Ahmed has spent the last three weeks on the bench at the IPL with Delhi.

Will Jacks, who played four Tests in the Ashes, is dropped, while England pretenders such as Liam Patterson-White and Mason Crane are overlooked.

In a struggling Hampshire side, Baker has been impressive with 14 wickets at 26.2, and looks a much-improved bowler after a winter of injury and a pair of tough white-ball international debuts in 2025, in which he went wicketless. He and Fisher beat Sam Cook to a place, despite him picking up 21 wickets at an average of 21 this summer.

Nevertheless, it seems likely that the attack for the first Test will be Robinson, Atkinson and Josh Tongue.

‘Competition for places incredibly strong’

Key said: “We’ve selected a squad that we believe has a really exciting blend of proven international quality, strong county form and players with huge potential to develop at Test level.

“Emilio, James and Sonny have all earned their opportunities through consistent performances and have impressed us not only with their talent, but with the way they have gone about their cricket in high-pressure situations.

“It’s also great to welcome back players like Rehan, Matt and Ollie, who all bring different qualities and experience to the group. Competition for places remains incredibly strong and that’s exactly where we want to be as a Test team.

“Jofra Archer is unavailable for the first Test. He continues to play in the IPL, and it is about building him up for red-ball cricket after a long six months on the road.”

England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), Jacob Bethell, James Rew, Rehan AHmed, Harry Brook, Ollie Robinson, Gus Atkinson, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Sonny Baker, Matthew Fisher, Jamie Smith, Shoaib Bashir, Emilio Gay, Josh Tongue.