England fielder Zak Crawley takes a catch and dismisses Washington Sundar despite Ollie Pope’s attention during the third day of the fifth Test match between England and India at The Kia Oval on August 2, 2025 in London, England. (Getty Images) England have dropped opening batsman Zak Crawley from their squad for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s next month.The squad announcement comes after England’s 4-1 Ashes defeat to Australia and a review of the squad set-up.England also confirmed the appointment of former Australian batsman Marcus North as the national selector. This is the first time a foreigner has been cast in the role.
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Delhi Capitals’ Madhav Tiwari reflects on his brilliant all-round performanceEngland said North would “contribute to the selection of all England men’s teams” from the senior team to the youth programmes.North has a long association with English domestic cricket, having represented six county teams. Since 2018, he has been the Director of Cricket at Durham County Cricket Club, where he has also worked closely with England Test captain Ben Stokes.England selectors have faced criticism from some former players and pundits for overlooking county performances when selecting the national side. This debate gained more attention after the Ashes loss.England is already coached by New Zealand-born Brendon McCullum.North replaces Luke Wright, who spent three years in the role.
Crawley and Pope dropped
After a humiliating Ashes campaign under Stokes and McCullum, changes were expected.Along with Crawley, No.3 batsman Ollie Pope has also been left out of the squad for the first Test, which starts on June 4.England have included three uncapped players in the squad, while fast bowler Ollie Robinson returns after a two-year absence.Crawley struggled during the 2025-26 Ashes tour, scoring 273 runs in 10 innings at an average of 27.30.He also did not score for Kent County Cricket Club in the County Championship Division Two this season.It is the first time since Stokes and McCullum have taken charge of a Test side in 2022 that Crawley has been dropped from the squad while fully available for selection.New faces include opener Emilio Gay and batsman James Rew.Gay has also represented Italy in international international events for the past two years through his mother’s Italian roots.England’s resources for pace-bowling are currently limited. Chris Woakes joins James Anderson and Stuart Broad in retirement, while Mark Wood and Brydon Carse are injured.Jofra Archer is unavailable due to T20 commitments.Fast bowlers Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker were called up, with Baker yet to make his Test debut.Gus Atkinson, Robinson and Josh Tongue are the more experienced pace options in the team.The selection announced by England is only for the first Test of the three-match series.platoon:Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
