In what is a bumper year for the England red-ball cricket side, it all begins with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge starting on Thursday, in what is the first meeting between the sides in the format since 2003.
England recently climbed into second spot in the ICC Test rankings, their highest position under Brendon McCullum, though have yet to reach the final of the World Test Championship ahead of the new cycle commencing this summer.
Whilst Zimbabwe may just be an appetiser for the main servings of India and Australia to follow, it still presents a valuable opportunity for certain batters to find form and bowlers to stake their case for a place in the side moving forward.
2025 has been a disappointing year for England thus far as the white-ball side were heavily beaten in India and exited the Champions Trophy at the group stage.
However finding that winning habit again in the Test arena with a dominant performance will no doubt get the public excited again for what is to come.
For exclusive stories and all the detailed cricket news you need, subscribe to The Cricket Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.
All eyes on Zak Crawley
The England hierarchy have shown full faith in opener Zak Crawley once more, resisting the calls to make a change before the side embark on their two marquee series of the year.
The 27-year-old averaged just 8.66 in a torrid tour of New Zealand in the winter, whilst also failing to reach double figures during the first innings of his four County Championship outings for Kent in Division Two this campaign.
Crawley has not made a Test century since the 2023 Ashes, though it is a more favourable record against Australia and India which gives him enough credit in the bank to continue his partnership with Ben Duckett at the top of the order for now.
Three consecutive second innings half-centuries for his county will have been a much-needed confidence boost and indicates a possible change of fortunes, nevertheless a score against Zimbabwe will be vital to justify his place ahead of the India series.
Durham prodigy Ben McKinney and Sussex’s Tom Haines have been touted as next in line, whilst Haseeb Hameed and Dom Sibley could potentially be in the frame for a recall after superb form at the start of the season.
Ollie Pope will also feel his spot in the side is vulnerable, despite his role as vice-captain, beginning 2024 with a match-winning 196 in Hyderabad but ending the year down the order as temporary wicketkeeper in New Zealand.
The Surrey man will move back up to his more natural number three position against Zimbabwe, a role in which 21-year-old Jacob Bethell thrived in against New Zealand on Test debut with three half-centuries and is expected to return to at the end of his IPL stint.
Pope’s county team-mate Jamie Smith returns to take the gloves, whilst uncapped duo Jordan Cox and James Rew are also knocking on the door with their domestic form, with the latter earning his first call-up after Cox was once again ruled out of the squad through injury.
READ MORE: We can’t take our eyes off the ball against Zimbabwe – Harry Brook
Opportunity for new-look pace attack to press claims
England will be without the injured Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone, whilst Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are edging nearer to their returns to the squad.
As such, the Zimbabwe Test provides a fresh seam attack the chance to showcase their skills ahead of a demanding year in which a stock of fit and firing fast bowlers will be essential to any success.
Gus Atkinson, named England player of the year for 2024 following a breakout summer, will lead a pace trio with just 13 Test appearances between them, making it England’s most inexperienced attack since Zimbabwe last visited these shores in 2003.
Essex’s Sam Cook has earned a long overdue call-up and will debut in Nottingham after racking up 321 First-Class scalps, with the standout seamer on the domestic circuit often overlooked for his lack of express pace fulfilling the Woakes role with the new ball.
Meanwhile, Josh Tongue is set for his first England appearance since 2023 on his home ground after an exciting return from a lengthy injury layoff, with his extra pace and bounce claiming 15 wickets in three matches for table-toppers Nottinghamshire so far this campaign.
Shoaib Bashir has been retained as the frontline spinner again, despite a rather unsuccessful loan period at Glamorgan, whereas Jack Leach has been favoured by Somerset and taken the third joint-most wickets in Division One.
Whilst there is a significant lack of spin depth in English cricket beyond a number of exciting young talents, the decision to invest heavily in an off-spinner who has a First-Class average of over 50 is a questionable one.
And the 21-year-old also failed to convince doubters in the most recent tours to Pakistan and New Zealand.
Matthew Potts could be considered a little unlucky not to have cemented a more regular starting berth in recent years and will once again miss out on a place in the XI after England opted against the possibility of fielding an all-seam attack.
What about the captain?
The talismanic Ben Stokes is fit to play after undergoing hamstring surgery at the end of the New Zealand series in the winter, undergoing an extensive recovery period which he believes will see him return to peak physical condition.
The all-rounder suffered the setback in the final Test following a condensed rehab period which saw him miss four Test matches last year but has taken advantage of the gap in the calendar to ensure his return to full fitness.
Whilst he has not been able to feature for Durham in the early stages of the County Championship, it is believed Stokes will be capable of fulfilling his role with both bat and ball.
This is essential to the balance of the side, though it is expected his overs will be carefully managed as preparations for the India series ramp up.
How competitive will Zimbabwe be?
It is no exaggeration to say this fixture is a once in a generation moment for this group of Zimbabwe players, having not faced any of the “big three” in the game’s longest format for 20 years.
Failure to fulfill white-ball expectations in recent years will be of major concern ahead of co-hosting the World Cup in 2027, however it is the Test side which is currently undergoing a rare period of focus.
Despite not being included in the World Test Championship, Zimbabwe are scheduled to play 11 Test matches this year, the joint-most of any side, having only played 12 between 2020-2024.
An impressive win in the first Test in Bangladesh last month was cause for optimism and showed signs of progress.
However, the world 10th-ranked side will not have faced this calibre of opposition and will need something special to defy the odds in what many are anticipating to be a one-sided contest.
Those feelings will have only been reinforced after they were comfortably beaten by a Professional County Club Select XI at Leicester last week, a side made up almost entirely of second-string youngsters who have yet to make their First-Class debuts.
Experience will be key and they have that in abduncace with captain Craig Ervine and fellow middle-order batter Sean Williams, whilst their premier all-rounder Sikandar Raza is available after cutting short his time in the Pakistan Super League.
The form of pace bowler Blessing Muzarabani has seen him rise to a career-high 15th in the ICC rankings, whilst 21-year-old Brian Bennett has emerged as an exciting talent at the top of the order since making his debut last year and is one to watch.
Despite bigger and much tougher assignments on the horizon, England will know not to underestimate their more inferior opponents.
Only Joe Root remains from the side that were given a huge scare by Ireland at Lord’s in 2019 after recovering from being skittled for 85 in the first session of the match.
Trent Bridge, the perfect ground to reignite Bazball?
The England Test side have enjoyed great success at Trent Bridge over the years, winning eight of their last 12 matches, and it seems fitting that the defining year for ‘Bazball’ begins where it all started in 2022.
That second Test victory over New Zealand introduced the world to Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ no fear approach as England chased 299 in 50 overs on the final day.
Traditionally, both a high and quick-scoring ground, it could provide a much-needed opportunity for batters to spend time in the middle.
The overriding desire to bat their opponents into submission will likely not waver and may prove to be a demoralising experience for the Zimbabwe bowlers should the hosts find their form.
England defeated West Indies by 241 runs at Trent Bridge last year in a game which saw three scores in excess of 400 at more than four runs per over with Pope, Root and Brook all registering centuries.
Bashir will also have happy memories after earning career-best figures of 5-41 in the second innings to help wrap up the victory.
By Dom Harris
