LONDON (AP) \u2014 The past is fiercely protected at Lord\u2019s Cricket Ground.<\/p>\n
The Long Room, the slope of the field, the bell before play, dress codes and honors boards.<\/p>\n
But inside this normally comforting time capsule, England will try to escape its recent past when it begins its first home test of the year against New Zealand on Thursday.<\/p>\n
An occasion that should herald a fresh start is enveloped by a stench of dissatisfaction lingering from England\u2019s humiliating tour<\/a> to Australia.<\/p>\n A team that was groomed for two years to end Australia\u2019s grip on the Ashes was crushed in 11 days<\/a> before Christmas; tied for the quickest Ashes series defeat in 104 years. England\u2019s slack preparation and wrong tactical approach were aggravated by reports of excessive drinking<\/a> under relentless local media scrutiny.<\/p>\n None of the leadership group paid a price. Director of cricket Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes survived a review<\/a> of the Ashes tour. That didn\u2019t go down well with team supporters, and McCullum understood.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have got to handle a little bit of the backlash,\u201d he told the BBC.<\/p>\n Fixes since the Ashes include reimposing a curfew and hiring more backroom staff, including fielding coach Sarah Taylor, the wicketkeeping great and first woman to coach an England men\u2019s test team.<\/p>\n Nothing banishes a putrid odor like the sweet smell of success, and England can take heart from its response to a similarly dire state in 2022 when McCullum, a former New Zealand captain, took charge. <\/p>\n England had lost the Ashes 4-0 in Australia and lost to the West Indies 1-0 in the Caribbean, prompting Joe Root to quit as captain. New Zealand arrived and Bazball was launched; England scored 279, 299 and 296 in consecutive second innings to sweep the series.<\/p>\n England has run out of patience with top-order batters Zac Crawley and Ollie Pope and replaced them with Durham opener Emilio Gay and Jacob Bethell, who scored his maiden century<\/a> in January in the last Ashes test in Sydney. Gay has three hundreds in the ongoing County Championship. He\u2019ll be a dual international after playing three Twenty20s for Italy last year.<\/p>\n Ollie Robinson will try to be the confrontational new-ball bowler England consistently lacked in Australia during the Ashes. Robinson has an excellent record of 76 wickets at 23 in 20 tests but was dropped in 2024 because his fitness and attitude cost him trust. But the captaincy of Sussex this season has matured him, and he\u2019s been recalled while Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse are sidelined.<\/p>\n Twin peaks<\/p>\n Meanwhile, New Zealand will unleash its twin peaks, Kyle Jamieson and Will O\u2019Rourke, in a test for the first time in a full-strength pace attack.<\/p>\n Jamieson is 2.07 meters (6-foot-8) and O\u2019Rourke is 1.97 meters (6-foot-4). They have played together for Canterbury and in one-day internationals but both are returning from back injuries. Jamieson\u2019s last test was in February 2024 after which O\u2019Rourke emerged with nine wickets against South Africa on debut. But then O\u2019Rourke broke down and hasn\u2019t played a test since July 2025.<\/p>\n The pair were held back from the warmup test against Ireland in Belfast last week, along with attack leader Matt Henry, to travel to England early and train with bowling coach Jacob Oram. Allrounder Nathan Smith took eight Irish wickets<\/a> and looks set to be the fourth pacer.<\/p>\n White ball captain Mitchell Santner recovered quicker than expected from an April shoulder injury in the Indian Premier League and is vying for a spot in the middle order with fellow allrounder Glenn Phillips, fresh from helping Gujarat Titans reach the IPL final.<\/p>\n