England begin life after a bruising Ashes tour when they host New Zealand in a three-Test series that opens at Lord’s. A new national selector, three uncapped players and the omission of two senior batters all point to a side under pressure to rebuild.
For New Zealand, second in the World Test Championship and fresh from a warm-up win over Ireland, this tour is a chance to bank points and edge closer to a place in next year’s final.
England vs New Zealand Schedule 2026
Two of the three Tests are in London, with The Oval staging a Test in June for the first time, before the series heads north to Trent Bridge to close out the month.
| Match | Date | Fixture | Venue | Time (Local / GMT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | 4 June 2026 | England vs New Zealand | Lord’s, London | 11:00 Local / 10:00 GMT |
| 2nd Test | 17 June 2026 | England vs New Zealand | Kennington Oval, London | 11:00 Local / 10:00 GMT |
| 3rd Test | 25 June 2026 | England vs New Zealand | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | 11:00 Local / 10:00 GMT |
(Source: ECB)
England vs New Zealand Squads 2026
England handed maiden Test call-ups to Emilio Gay, Sonny Baker and James Rew for the opening Test while leaving out Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, a clear reset under new national selector Marcus North.
New Zealand added Mitchell Santner after he recovered from injury quicker than expected, having warmed up with a win over Ireland in Belfast.
England Squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
(Source: ECB)
New Zealand Squad: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Kane Williamson, Will Young
(Source: NZC)
England vs New Zealand Head-to-Head(2026 Updated)
The Englishmen hold a comfortable historical lead, but recent meetings have been closer than the overall numbers suggest. England won their most recent series in New Zealand 2-1 in late 2024, taking the first two Tests before the hosts hit back in Hamilton. The Black Caps, for their part, won the last series played on English soil back in 2021.
| Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Win % | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 115 | 54 | 14 | 46.96% | 47 |
| New Zealand | 115 | 14 | 54 | 12.17% | 47 |
(Source: ESPNcricinfo)
New Zealand Tour of England 2026 Series Outlook
The most interesting thread is how England rebuild their top order. With Crawley and Pope left out, Emilio Gay’s introduction and the balance around Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Harry Brook will shape the batting, while the bowling carries its own questions: Shoaib Bashir’s role as the frontline spinner, and the returns of Ollie Robinson and Matthew Fisher alongside Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue.
New Zealand arrive with a pace-heavy look built for English conditions, led by Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke, with Kane Williamson still the wicket England most want. There is a wider prize at stake too, with the series feeding into the World Test Championship and the Black Caps chasing a route back to the final.
For England, it is less about the table and more about proving the post-Ashes reset has substance. Either way, the fixtures, the conditions and the selection calls give fans plenty to follow across June.
