England have announced their team for the third and last match of the England vs New Zealand Test series. The hosts have made 4 changes to their team. Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson are back after the investigation over their curfew breach didn’t materialise, with Jordan Cox and Matt Fisher going out.
Wholesome changes for England
Jamie Smith, who was on paternity leave, is returning for James Rew. Shoaib Bashir, who was dropped for Sonny Baker, finds a spot with the dry and flat surface at Trent Bridge expected to aid spinners in the latter half of the Test. Ollie Robinson hasn’t regained fitness and will sit out.
On has to remember that England were forced to drop Stokes and Atkinson, Jofra Archer returned and others Robinson wasn’t fit for selection. Bashir didn’t play because the management felt The Oval wasn’t conducive to spinners and Matt Henry showed that.
Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (vc), Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
All good between Ben Stokes & Brendon McCullum
Before England named their team, head coach Brendon McCullum addressed the media in Nottingham. For the last few days, reports have emerged that Stokes wasn’t pleased with McCullum, because he didn’t back during the investigation. The former New Zealand captain didn’t confirm Stokes as skipper when Joe Root took over on interim basis.
“I said ‘do you know where this has come from, the conversations around our relationship over the last six months?’ He said ‘no, I have no idea’. I said to him, ‘as far I’m concerned, I consider you a good friend.’ Obviously, we’ve been through a lot together as a working pair in leadership positions here in English cricket. In the end, we both want what’s right and what is the best for English cricket,” McCullum told reporters.
McCullum stated that neither him nor Stokes feel there is a fractured relationship between them. It’s commonly believed that both didn’t agree on things in Australia during the 2025-26 Ashes. But McCullum has claimed they are on good terms and it’s only natural to disagree sometimes.
“We’re crystal clear on the direction we want this team to take. There are going to be times when we discuss things and debate things. We’ve said all the way along we’ve always ended up making decisions together and one will have to concede at times, and vice versa on occasions. We are good friends.
It’s been a real privilege for me over the past four years to work in intimate detail and as a partnership alongside Ben. I look back on that fondly about how tight we were as a group and how tight we were as a pair. Anything outside of that, it’s not really up to us. Ben and I are tight,” he added.
Cricket
EXCLUSIVE: Radha Yadav not to be blamed for twin drops vs SA, ex-IND fielding coach wants her in playing XI
