Ben Stokes appears ready to slide down England’s order to No. 7, with wicket-keeper-batter Jamie Smith pencilled in at No. 6 for next week’s first Test against New Zealand. Head coach Brendon McCullum, speaking on Friday at a Rothesay sponsors’ event, all but confirmed the reshuffle while hinting at further tweaks to the XI.
“There are conversations we are having around switching Jamie Smith and Stokesy around,” McCullum said. “Both are brilliant players when they’re at their best. They’re free-flowing, when they’re going well. It’s how we get the best out of those two based on the group around them and what’s required. That’s certainly a conversation we are having. Not quite yet [decided], but more leaning towards it.”
Key numbers back the thinking. Stokes averaged just 18.40 in the 4-1 Ashes defeat, striking at 36.58 but leading the attack with 15 wickets at 25.13. While his batting dipped, his seam bowling remained incisive, suggesting a gradual shift back towards the all-rounder balance he managed earlier in his career. The Durham man has spent the early part of the domestic season rehabbing and then fine-tuning his bowling workload, even taking the new ball against Worcestershire and switching to first change versus Kent.
Smith, 26, endured a patchy Ashes – 211 runs at 23.44 – yet still owns a healthy Test average of 41.48 after 20 caps. Two early-season County Championship hundreds for Surrey, both from No. 3, have kept his name in lights, and he heads into the Vitality Blast break with 450 runs at exactly 50.00.
The top order, meanwhile, should be bolstered by Jacob Bethell’s return at No. 3. The left-hander flew home early from the IPL with a finger injury but has come through fitness checks this week. England value his ability to absorb the new ball and counter-punch once set, traits that were missed during parts of the Ashes.
Spin is also under review. Shoaib Bashir, overlooked in Australia where conditions persuaded selectors to use the all-round skills of Will Jacks, is strongly tipped to play his 20th Test. The 22-year-old has taken 15 wickets in six Championship outings for Derbyshire and, crucially, is fully recovered from the little-finger fracture that curtailed his 2025 summer. Rehan Ahmed has been placed with the Lions for their fixture against South Africa A, a sign the senior side wants Bashir’s orthodox off-spin back in the mix.
Bashir’s last Test wicket came in memorable circumstances at Lord’s against India, when Mohammed Siraj chopped on hours after the spinner had broken that same finger. The dismissal sealed an unlikely win and underlined Bashir’s willingness to bowl through discomfort, something the think-tank values when five-day schedules compress ever tighter.
Fast-bowling depth remains stretched. Jofra Archer is unavailable while Rajasthan Royals pursue an IPL title, and there is no appetite to rush him back into red-ball cricket. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s medical staff view this summer as another stepping-stone in Archer’s long-term rehabilitation rather than a deadline. Should the pace spearhead come through the T20 and one-day windows unscathed, a late-season Test appearance has not been ruled out, but for now the plans revolve around the fit-again Mark Wood and the consistent Matthew Potts.
Selection will be finalised early next week once coaches have seen how Lord’s surfaces are likely to behave. Early-season pitches in England can offer seam on days one and two before flattening, so carrying four seamers plus a spinner remains the template. Stokes’ increasing overs give England flexibility, but the management are wary of over-burdening him so soon after surgery for a freak pre-season cheekbone fracture.
If the projected XI materialises, England could start the summer with: Crawley, Duckett, Bethell, Root, Brook, Smith †, Stokes (c), Bashir, Wood, Potts, Robinson. That would leave Ollie Pope and Will Jacks on standby, while Ahmed heads the Lions spin group.
England’s immediate task is to halt a run of three series defeats. The New Zealand side arriving next week is experienced, led by Kane Williamson and packing seam depth of its own. McCullum is keen for clarity rather than sweeping change, hence the limited but pointed alterations.
Stokes has publicly accepted higher bowling loads if it helps balance. Moving to No. 7 lowers the batting pressure and allows him to attack with the old ball, a role he relishes. Smith, meanwhile, gains a clear brief: occupy the middle overs and forge partnerships with Harry Brook and Joe Root around him.
It is tinkering, not tearing up, but after a bruising winter both coach and captain hope small shifts prompt a larger upturn. The opening Test at Lord’s starts on Thursday; the selections – and whether conversations turn into actions – will be revealed at the toss.
