England seeks a fresh start at Lord's as Ashes backlash lingers ahead of New Zealand test

But inside this normally comforting time capsule, England will try to escape its recent past when it begins its first home test of the year against New Zealand on Thursday.

An occasion that should herald a fresh start is enveloped by a stench of dissatisfaction lingering from England's humiliating tour to Australia.

A team that was groomed for two years to end Australia's grip on the Ashes was crushed in 11 days before Christmas; tied for the quickest Ashes series defeat in 104 years. England's slack preparation and wrong tactical approach were aggravated by reports of excessive drinking under relentless local media scrutiny.

None of the leadership group paid a price. Director of cricket Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes survived a review of the Ashes tour. That didn't go down well with team supporters, and McCullum understood.

“You have got to handle a little bit of the backlash,” he told the BBC.

Fixes since the Ashes include reimposing a curfew and hiring more backroom staff, including fielding coach Sarah Taylor, the wicketkeeping great and first woman to coach an England men's test team.

Nothing banishes a putrid odor like the sweet smell of success, and England can take heart from its response to a similarly dire state in 2022 when McCullum, a former New Zealand captain, took charge.

England had lost the Ashes 4-0 in Australia and lost to the West Indies 1-0 in the Caribbean, prompting Joe Root to quit as captain. New Zealand arrived and Bazball was launched; England scored 279, 299 and 296 in consecutive second innings to sweep the series.

England has run out of patience with top-order batters Zac Crawley and Ollie Pope and replaced them with Durham opener Emilio Gay and Jacob Bethell, who scored his maiden century in January in the last Ashes test in Sydney. Gay has three hundreds in the ongoing County Championship. He'll be a dual international after playing three Twenty20s for Italy last year.

Ollie Robinson will try to be the confrontational new-ball bowler England consistently lacked in Australia during the Ashes. Robinson has an excellent record of 76 wickets at 23 in 20 tests but was dropped in 2024 because his fitness and attitude cost him trust. But the captaincy of Sussex this season has matured him, and he's been recalled while Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are sidelined.

Twin peaks

Meanwhile, New Zealand will unleash its twin peaks, Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke, in a test for the first time in a full-strength pace attack.

Jamieson is 2.07 meters (6-foot-8) and O'Rourke is 1.97 meters (6-foot-4). They have played together for Canterbury and in one-day internationals but both are returning from back injuries. Jamieson's last test was in February 2024 after which O'Rourke emerged with nine wickets against South Africa on debut. But then O'Rourke broke down and hasn't played a test since July 2025.

The pair were held back from the warmup test against Ireland in Belfast last week, along with attack leader Matt Henry, to travel to England early and train with bowling coach Jacob Oram. Allrounder Nathan Smith took eight Irish wickets and looks set to be the fourth pacer.

White ball captain Mitchell Santner recovered quicker than expected from an April shoulder injury in the Indian Premier League and is vying for a spot in the middle order with fellow allrounder Glenn Phillips, fresh from helping Gujarat Titans reach the IPL final.

There's been media speculation that this tour may be Kane Williamson 's last for New Zealand. He opted out of his national contract in 2024 to freelance, and the 35-year-old batter's availability is series by series. The prospect of 14 tests over the next 12 months hasn't grabbed him even though he's 500-odd runs from the 10,000 milestone. He's admitted this will be his fifth and last test appearance at Lord's, where he's yet to taste victory.

“You only get a handful of opportunities to come to Lord's,” Williamson said. “The way they maintain the tradition is quite special. You notice those differences to all other grounds. Walking out to the pitch through the Long Room, bumping into a few members, and obviously the lunches are iconic. It is a special place to play.”

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