Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman James Bracey and Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson could be in line for their first England caps after being called up to the Test squad for the first time on Tuesday. The duo are in the 15-man squad announced by head coach Chris Silverwood for the two Test series with New Zealand.

There is also a Test recall for Somerset all-rounder Craig Overton who won the last of his four caps in September 2019 against Australia.

They get their chances to shine with Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes both out injured. Five players have also been rested following their return from the coronavirus-affected Indian Premier League.

Both Bracey and Robinson have earned their places after impressive early season form in the County Championship.

Bracey has scored 478 Championship runs so far at an average of 53, while Robinson has taken 29 wickets at an average of 14, three fewer than Overton who is the leading wicket-taker in county cricket this season.

“Having spent all winter and last summer in the company of our established Test players, they (Bracey and Robinson) have immersed themselves in preparing and understanding what it takes to play at this level,” said Silverwood.

“They are both resilient characters and have demonstrated to me, the captain (Joe Root) and coaches that they have the desire, temperament and the ability to continually improve to give themselves every chance of succeeding on the international stage.”

Good performances against the Black Caps could earn them a place in the five Test home series with the formidable Indians in August.

The ultimate carrot for them though would be to gain a place in the squad for the Ashes series in Australia later in the year.

Both Stokes and Archer will be pivotal if England are to regain the Ashes.

Robinson’s Sussex team-mate Archer is to see a specialist about his sore right elbow later this week.

“We need to get this resolved once and for all to give him the best chance of being fully fit as we build up to an intense winter, which will include a T20 World Cup and the Ashes,” said Silverwood.

“We need him firing in all formats of the game.”

There is better news regarding Stokes and the finger he fractured whilst playing in the IPL.

The squad will report to its base on Friday May 28 ahead of the first Test starting at Lord’s on Wednesday June 2. The second Test is at Edgbaston from June 10.

Meanwhile,  Stuart Broad has warned against Test caps being given out “free and cheap” as a result of England’s controversial rest and rotation policy.

The veteran seamer also said Monday he was looking forward to life under a new England regime given former national selector Ed Smith “probably didn’t rate me”.

But Broad accepted multi-format England team-mates such as the currently injured Jofra Archer would need careful handling if they were to be fit for both this year’s Twenty20 World Cup and the subsequent Ashes series in Australia.

Smith’s post was abolished last month, with England coach Chris Silverwood now in sole charge of selecting the side.

Broad’s tally of 517 Test wickets is second only to that of longstanding new-ball colleague James Anderson among England bowlers, yet he was still left out for last season’s opening match against the West Indies.

It was a move that left the 34-year-old Nottinghamshire seamer feeling “frustrated, angry and gutted”, although Broad responded by becoming England’s leading bowler of the 2020 Test campaign, with 29 wickets at a miserly average of 13.41.

England’s rotation policy has been designed to ensure players don’t get burn out as a result of both a congested schedule and the extra demands of playing bio-secure cricket amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Broad said he would accept being rested by Silverwood if “it was explained in a good way”.

Nevertheless, he insisted: “Part of the reason I don’t play white-ball cricket any more is so I’m fit and available for Test cricket and fresh when I’m needed. Test caps aren’t there to be given out free and cheap. “We work very hard for the opportunity to play Test cricket and you have to earn your stripes.”

Agencies

England squad:

Joe Root (capt), James Anderson, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Mark Wood