On a day when England named three uncapped players in their Test squad, brought Ollie Robinson out of cold storage and officially confirmed a new selector had joined the set-up, perhaps the most significant news was the identity of their fielding coach.
Sarah Taylor, the former England wicketkeeper, will be in charge of the fielding drills during the three-Test series against New Zealand that begins at Lord’s on 4 June – the first female coach to work in the men’s senior setup.
The fact that Rob Key, the England men’s team director, almost mentioned it in passing was fitting for a coach who has quietly risen through the ranks. Taylor, 36, has held a number of roles in the men’s game since hanging up her gloves five years ago, including spells with Sussex men and Manchester Originals in the Hundred.
This latest post is just for the New Zealand series initially but may continue through the summer. Taylor is already on the England payroll, having been part of the Lions coaching setup under Andrew Flintoff since late 2024. “We’ve been unbelievably impressed with her and the way she goes about her business,” said Key.
Fielding was one of England’s many shortcomings during the winter’s wretched 4-1 Ashes defeat, with 17 catches going down. The series postmortem – one that saw Key and the head coach Brendon McCullum keep their jobs – also included a pledge to better engage with county cricket and give more weight to domestic performances.
England Test squad (v NZ, Lord's, 4 June): Ben Stokes (capt, Durham), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Matthew Fisher (Surrey), Emilio Gay (Durham), James Rew (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (wk, Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
To that end, and with the former Australia Test batter Marcus North confirmed as a new full-time selector after leaving Durham, England have given maiden call-ups to Emilio Gay and James Rew, two heavy run-scorers in the County Championship.
Gay is confirmed to open alongside Ben Duckett. The left-hander’s call follows an excellent start to the season under North, averaging 92 from No 3, plus four centuries in Division One last year. Capped by Italy in Twenty20 cricket, the 26-year-old has turned down an approach from West Indies in the past.
Rew will serve as the spare batter in the squad – plus back-up to Jamie Smith with the gloves – and with 12 centuries for Somerset and at just 22 years old, he is seen as the coming man. Zak Crawley is the player heading in the opposite direction - a change that felt inevitable even before his latest struggles back at Kent.
There have been highs for Crawley along the way, not least the flaying of Australia’s attack at Old Trafford in 2023. But a Test average of 31 from 64 caps is the lowest of any Test opener in history with more than 3,000 runs. In the end, England had to peel themselves away from the fruit machine.
If there is hope for Crawley – or Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts and Will Jacks who were also in Australia but are now on the sidelines – it comes in the unlikely form of Robinson and proof that the door is never shut.
Ignored since early 2024 on account of his struggle to be fit for the rigours of bowling in Test cricket, Robinson admitted he thought his chance had gone. But now, at 32 and having captained Sussex to three wins that would see them top of the table but for their points deduction, he is down to take the new ball at Lord’s.
Key said: “When Ollie Robinson is fit and bowling at a decent pace – around 82mph – he is world class. He is right up there statistically [with 76 Test wickets at 22]. We have monitored him a lot, spoken to him, and he seems back to full fitness.”
Robinson is one of six seamers in the squad, including the captain, Ben Stokes, with Sonny Baker a third uncapped player, who has impressed with his pace and skill at Hampshire. Gus Atkinson would seem the likely candidate to partner Robinson, even if Key confirmed that Stokes is also considering the role.
Another decision must be made on the first-choice spinner after North and the selection panel gave Stokes and McCullum two options. Shoaib Bashir is retained, despite being overlooked for Jacks in Australia, while the leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed has the chance to win his first home Test cap.
Ahmed and Jacob Bethell will join the Test squad after returning from the Indian Premier League – Bethell straight into the XI, after his maiden Test century in Sydney in January. But Jofra Archer will be given time to build up his workload after spending the last two months bowling four-over spells.
The fact that England are now forced to wait for Archer to get up to speed points to a central contract system no longer delivering on its original stated aim: to ready players for international duty by controlling their schedule. As North will discover, the role of selector is less straightforward than during his playing days.
