England have recalled Shoaib Bashir, the spinner they deemed unselectable in Australia over the winter, for the first Test against New Zealand this week and he could be joined by two debutants for the game at Lord’s.Emilio Gay, the Durham batter, will make his first Test appearance on Thursday at the top of the England order and may be joined by the exciting Sonny Baker, who is also named in a 12-man squad.The hosts could opt to include the 23-year-old Hampshire fast bowler in their final XI if they decide conditions are more conducive to his extra pace rather than the swing and wobble seam of Gus Atkinson.Matt Fisher, James Rew and Rehan Ahmed have all been cut from the original 15-man party.Bashir, 22, who did not feature at all over the 4-1 defeat in the Ashes, looks certain to play after being named in the 12 as the sole specialist spinner. He has taken 15 wickets at 37.60 in six first-class games for his new county, Derbyshire, to date this summer.“We firmly believe in Bash as an international cricketer,” insisted England coach Brendon McCullum. “When I look back to why he wasn’t required in Australia, it wasn’t to do with how the ball was coming out of his hand per se. We just felt the conditions were not conducive to spin bowling — as did Australia.“Bash has the ability to play more of a holding role in the first couple of days at Lord’s, but then as the game deepens and it starts to spin he can go more into an attacking role.”Baker’s selection would be intriguing. The Devonian, who is capable of speeds touching 90 miles per hour, can provide the extra pace lacking in the absence of the injured Mark Wood, and with Jofra Archer still unavailable after his commitments with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.He made two inauspicious white-ball appearances last season, but England believe he has huge potential and look sure to include him at some point in Test cricket this summer — even if he does not make the cut on Thursday.Sonny Baker endured a difficult England baptism against South Africa last summer (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)“I think he’s going to be a cricketer that the country really gets behind when he does play,” added McCullum of Baker, who has only 12 first-class games, and 41 wickets, under his belt. “You can see he charges in and leaves everything out there. He loves the game and has a real passion for it.“We will wait until Thursday to see if we want the extra air-speed if the weather changes and the pitch suddenly flattens out or remain with what’s tried and tested at Lord’s.”New Zealand will name their match-day squad.England’s 12 for the first Test against New Zealand: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Ollie Robinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir.Baker’s moment will come — at Lord’s or beyondEven though he may not ultimately play at Lord’s, the selection of Baker in the final 12 for the first Test is a positive move by England.Baker went for 76 runs off just seven overs on his one-day international debut against South Africa last season, and then 52 runs off four wicketless overs against Ireland on T20 debut. But England believe he has emerged stronger for those two chastening experiences.He remains the most exciting young bowler with extra pace in England and, even though a poor weather forecast may end up convincing McCullum and captain Ben Stokes to go with the experience of Gus Atkinson in seam and swing conducive conditions, Baker will not have to wait long for his chance.The recall of Bashir on the same Lord’s ground where he broke a finger against India last season, before he was overlooked by England throughout the Ashes, is a reflection of the lack of quality spin options available to England.The selection of Rehan Ahmed — an aggressive talent with the bat — would have been more in keeping with the ‘old’ Bazball attacking policy, but Bashir has made a solid start in picking up his career with Derbyshire after moving from Somerset, and in many ways he is the continuity option.Ollie Robinson deserves his recall and will take the new ball either with Atkinson or possibly Stokes, and must now prove he is a fitter and more mature bowler than when England seemingly drew a line through his name after their 4-1 defeat by India at the start of 2024 when he was again beset by fitness and perceived attitude problems.Jun 2, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms