With England facing New Zealand in the first Test of the summer at Lord’s on June 4, Telegraph Sport picks the XI who are best placed to take on the Black Caps.
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Ben Duckett
It has been a good enough, if not a vintage opening to the season for Duckett, who has made starts (25, 62, 93 and 77) for Notts without going on and scoring the big hundred that Rob Key wants from his players. It was a difficult winter on and off the field for Duckett and, while not back to square one, he does have something to prove, which has brought the best out of him in the past.
He will be picked for the start of the Test summer, but he needs to rediscover the hunger and determination that made him such a success when Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes recalled him at the end of 2022.
Emilio Gay
Gay has been the standout performer of the England wannabees this summer so far with 473 runs at 94 for Durham, including three hundreds. A second century in a row was constructed at Lord’s over the weekend where he made a run-a-ball fifty on Saturday evening and played with the attacking intent England still want to see from their openers.
Yes, his runs have been scored in division two, but he did take a hundred off a James Anderson-led Lancashire and England – whatever they claim – will not be picking on county form alone or from outside their recognised list of candidates.
Gay is known to them after a good winter with the Lions in Australia. He also scored four hundreds in division one last summer. Team-mate Ben McKinney’s double century against Gloucestershire nosed him ahead early in the season but consistency is his issue and that is a problem when you’re looking for a Zak Crawley replacement. Crawley has done nothing for Kent and carries a big target on his back for Bazball’s failings.
Jacob Bethell
Forget making him an opener and picking James Rew in the middle order and thus forcing two young players to adapt to roles they have never done, while facing a very good New Zealand seam attack in June. Bethell has played three matches in the IPL without much success and spent most of his time netting and bench-warming. It caused a row between Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook recently about the best way to prepare.
Pietersen forgets he was a seasoned Test cricketer when he went to the IPL, while Bethell still has an awful lot to learn and few players in any sport at his age improve by not playing. He does have that wonderful knack and temperament for the big occasion, but he will start the Test summer undercooked – just when England wanted him to build on that superb Sydney hundred. He is one of those who turns it on, but he did complain of feeling undercooked last summer in similar circumstances.