Ahead of the County Championship season starting on Good Friday, we look at players pushing for England Test places ahead of the home series against New Zealand from June 4.
The batters
Rob Key’s public mention of Asa Tribe gave the Glamorgan opener a timely boost. With Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley averaging about 27 and 20 respectively in Australia, and management signalling consequence for underperformance, there could be top‑order spots to fill. Jersey-born Tribe averaged just over 45 in 2025 with two hundreds and three fifties from 11 innings, struck a century for the England Lions in Australia and will be under more scrutiny now Glamorgan are promoted to Division One.
Surrey’s Dom Sibley and Nottinghamshire’s Haseeb Hameed both exceeded 1,200 runs in Division One last year; Hameed’s 2025 strike‑rate (58.24) notably outpaced Sibley’s (45.90). Durham’s Ben McKinney and Sussex’s Tom Haines, who opened together for the Lions this winter, are also in the mix, as is McKinney’s team‑mate Emilio Gay, who hit four Championship hundreds in 2025.
The wicketkeepers
If England decide to move on from Jamie Smith after a testing Ashes tour, Somerset’s James Rew looks the likeliest replacement. Rew passed 1,000 county runs last season and has long been viewed as a future international. His younger brother Thomas, 18, who captained England to the Under‑19 World Cup final, is another highly rated prospect.
Durham’s Ollie Robinson (the wicketkeeper, not the Sussex seamer) blends tidy glovework with batting ability, although he averaged under 30 last term. Ben Foakes remains the natural choice for pure keeping — he provides excellent glove work and keeps regularly for Surrey — while Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow will always hope for a recall even if chances look limited.
The seamers
England’s bowling lacked consistent sting in the Ashes at times, and Sam Cook’s traditional seam attributes make him a candidate. The Essex paceman, who played one Test (v Zimbabwe) last summer on a batting‑friendly Trent Bridge wicket, has 328 first‑class wickets at about 20.64 and was name‑checked by Rob Key; with Chris Woakes now retired from international cricket, a conventional county seamer could be required.
Sussex’s Ollie Robinson (the seamer) is another option. The 32‑year‑old has not featured for England in over two years amid questions over fitness and other issues, but his height, accuracy and ability to move the ball both ways yielded 76 Test wickets at an average just under 23 and he would have helped when Australia were dominating short, loose bowling.
The spinners
England’s spin stocks are thinner. Shoaib Bashir was omitted for the Ashes and part‑timer Will Jacks bowled in the final Tests. Bashir has moved from Somerset to Derbyshire and will seek progress under new coaching. Jack Leach, the dependable left‑arm, was the leading spinner in County Championship Division One last term with 52 wickets and offers control even if fewer “magic” deliveries.
Northamptonshire leg‑spinner Calvin Harrison took 36 wickets in Division Two and also contributed with the bat, compiling a century and two fifties — he has admirers, including Michael Atherton. Rehan Ahmed remains an intriguing spin‑bowling all‑round option: the 21‑year‑old scored five red‑ball hundreds last season, though his 23 wickets included 13 in a single match, suggesting his bowling can be uneven. Sussex’s James Coles, a spin‑bowling all‑rounder who scored over 1,000 Championship runs in 2025, might find his path to Tests more feasible via an all‑round role given the strength of England’s middle order.
Watch England’s home summer on Sky Sports, starting with the three‑Test series against New Zealand from June 4.