England vs New Zealand: All-important win for fans as Ben Stokes and Tim bounce back from Ashes defeat | cricket news

There has always been a lot of discussion in and around this England men’s cricket team.

Daft comments from insiders about winning not always mattered and how they could finally chase down any score batting was huge – comments Ben Duckett must now regret.

A clear statement from the outside that England don’t train hard enough, don’t prepare hard enough and prefer to stick it out on the golf course rather than put them through their paces in practice.

We heard a lot more from head coach Brendon McCullum last week – chatting extensively after the 4-1 Ashes defeat. ECB in-house media, Sky SportsMore about written press and next steps on the side.

Much of that talk centered on England refining their ultra-aggressive style of baseball, playing “smarter” cricket and becoming more “powerful”.

Had they displayed those qualities in Australia, they might have won a series where they were beaten. It was a defeat of their own making, with stupid shots galore.

As encouraging as McCullum’s words may be – if you want to believe he can really evolve – now is the time to stop talking. What England fans want is action. And, more importantly, won, because they’ve been hungry of late.

In baseball’s electrifying early days, England won 11 of their first 13 Tests under McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. But they have now won just seven of their last 18.

They have not won a series against Australia or India in the baseball era and the regime has lost some fan support and winning positions have often slipped away. Running off the field also damaged the relationship between the team and the fanbase.

Hussain: England has become overly interested in style

Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said: “We have to remember the good things about England. For almost two-and-a-half years, they not only won games, they were an absolute joy to watch.

“I think they were overly interested in how to go about things as opposed to (Joy). They were more concerned about style than winning key moments.

“Ultimately, as they found out this winter, the fans want you to win, especially the Ashes. They don’t care how you play.”

If McCullum’s words don’t satisfy the fans ahead of the home series against New Zealand from Thursday, the selection may have been made. The return of opening batsman Emilio Gay and seam bowler Ollie Robinson signaled a change in philosophy.

Jack Crowley is the player who has made it to the top of the gay pecking order.

The jettisoned Kent man has, to use a McCullum-ism, a “high ceiling” but has also had the major flaw of not running consistently.

Averaging 31.18 after 64 Tests, a streak ended in this winter’s Ashes – returning with a pair of fifties from Perth early in Brisbane and Adelaide – and then a poor start to the county season, Crawley’s time is over, for now at least.

Gay may not have the same baseball as the batter he replaced — we’ll learn if that’s the case in time — but expect him to be more reliable.

And the left-hander’s selection in the squad ahead of committed Durham team-mate Ben McKinney, 21, indicates that England’s commitment to re-engaging in county cricket is genuine.

Gay has three centuries and a fifty in Division Two so far this season, amassing 552 runs at an average of around 80, after scoring 954 runs at 45.42 during Durham’s relegation campaign in 2025, including four centuries in Division One.

Hussain’s associate Sky Sports Pundit Michael Atherton said: “What you hear is that McKinney is more talented, whereas Gay has put runs on the board.

“His selection may represent a slight shift in emphasis. They had to make a change (from Crawley), if there was to be accountability for performance.”

Can England really change?

If England moved on from the idea that all batsmen needed to be boundary blasters, they also dropped the idea that all bowlers needed to work at 90mph or more. The Ashes attack lacked pace, but lacked control.

“The bowling, at times, was diabolical,” Hussain said Sky Sports Cricket Podcast As he reflected on the short and wide offerings served up.

Robinson, back after a two-year absence that was largely down to fitness levels, will bring much-needed precision and skill to England if his body is to stand up to the rigors of Test cricket, which has been his main problem in the past.

If Robinson can stay at his 82-83mph velocity and not dip below that, he will be a force. His figures of 76 wickets at an average of under 23 in 20 Tests prove that.

The acid test for England, though, will be whether these heartening selections translate into real change in the middle.

Will the batsmen return to type and play in the gung-ho fashion we saw in the Ashes opener in Perth when they were thrashed from 65-1 in their second innings when they were 105 ahead in a snowstorm? Or will they play the situation?

Will the bowlers chase the wicket and lose their line and length, as they did ad nauseam against Australia?

One only has to look back to England’s baseball debut against New Zealand in 2022 to see just how important cricket smarts are.

While that early summer is best remembered for the Black Caps’ breathtaking run chase against India at Trent Bridge and Headingley and then at Edgbaston – when Jonny Bairstow was at his brutal best – it all started with a five-wicket win under cloudy skies at Lord’s. Joe Root’s ton chased 277 runs.

With England starting the fourth day on 216-5 needing 61 more runs in bowler-friendly conditions for their second win in 18 Tests and first in 10 Tests, the fans’ nerves were fraying. But Root, aided by Ben Foakes, saw off the hosts in subdued fashion.

Looking at this week’s weather forecast for Lord’s, we could get another finish under dark skies and if England come out on top in quiet fashion and come full circle from four years ago, it will represent real progress after a nightmare Ashes tour.

However, any win against a New Zealand side with Kane Williamson, the talented Rachin Ravindra and a strong bowling attack won’t be easy – for the fans will do.

Style doesn’t matter anymore, what fans want is substance. Winning is all that matters.

Watch the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s, live Sky Sports Cricket And main event Thursday from 10am (11am first ball). Didn’t get the sky? Get Sky Sports or Stream with NOW.