England begin their home summer with a three-Test series against New Zealand, the first of which begins at Lord’s on Thursday. The series is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle and comes at an important stage for both sides.England enter the series after a difficult Ashes campaign in Australia. Ben Stokes’ side came under fire after the defeat but the management group of director of cricket Rob Kay, head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes remain intact as England look to move on.Since the Ashes, England have made a number of changes, including bringing back the team curfew and adding more support staff. Among the appointments is former wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor, who has joined as fielding coach, becoming the first woman to coach an England men’s Test team.England can take confidence from a similar situation in 2022. After losing the Ashes 4–0 in Australia and then losing the series 1–0 in the West Indies, Joe Root stepped down as captain. McCullum then took charge and England responded by beating New Zealand 3-0. During that series, England scored 279, 299 and 296 in consecutive fourth innings chases.New Zealand, meanwhile, are set to field both Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke together in a full-strength pace attack for the first time in Test cricket.Jamieson stands at 2.07 m (6 ft 8 in), while O’Rourke is 1.97 m (6 ft 4 in). The pair have previously played together for Canterbury and in one-day internationals. Both are coming back from back injuries. Jamieson’s last Test came in February 2024, while O’Rourke made an immediate impact with nine wickets on debut against South Africa before being ruled out through injury. He has not played a Test since July 2025.There are also speculations that this could be Kane Williamson’s last tour of England. The 35-year-old opted out of his New Zealand central contract in 2024 and now states his availability on a series-by-series basis.Williamson is about 500 runs away from 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He has also confirmed that this will be his fifth and final Test at Lord’s, where he is yet to be part of a winning side.England vs New Zealand Test Series ScheduleFirst Test: June 4-8, Lord’s, London — 3:30 PM ISTSecond Test: June 17-21, The Oval, London — 3:30 PM IST3rd Test: June 25-29, Trent Bridge, Nottingham – 3:30 PM ISTMatch TimingThe first Test will begin at 3:30 PM IST on Thursday, with the toss scheduled for 3:00 PM IST.Where to see in IndiaThe England-New Zealand Test series will be telecast live on Sony Sports Network. Live streaming will be available on SonyLIV app and website.
