Big changes for the England Test team?
Test Match Special
BBC
4.4 • 2.3K Ratings
🗓️ 20 April 2026
⏱️ 54 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Mark Chapman, Alex Hartley, Steven Finn and, Matt Prior discuss how England’s Test team is shaping up for the summer, the spots up for grabs and, who is best placed to take them. Less than two months to go until England begin their Test summer against New Zealand at Lord’s, by that time it will be nearly five months since Ben Stokes’ side trudged off the SCG having lost the 5th Ashes Test, losing the series 4-1.
Who should remain in the side? What are the main positions up for grabs? And is there someone who has done enough to make the step up?
They also discuss the new rules around replacing players in the County Championship which has proved controversial so far.
TIME CODES 00:00 Intro 06:15 How does selection work? 12:38 Opening batting partnership 16:35 Time for a new opening partnership? 24:37 James Rew and a positional dilemma 27:08 The cricket structure in England 30:31 Jacob Bethell and the Indian Premier League 34:34 Scores in the league 36:17 Favourites in the IPL 36:42 England’s pace bowlers 43:09 Spin bowlers 47:30 County Championship substitutes rule
Transcript
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| 0:35.8 | This is the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. Listen only on BBC Sound. This is the TMS podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live. |
| 0:41.7 | Hello and welcome to the Test Match Special podcast. Less than two months to go then until |
| 0:46.5 | England begin their test summer against New Zealand at Lords. And by the time we get |
| 0:51.0 | there, it will be nearly five months since they trudged off at the SCG, |
| 0:56.3 | having lost the fifth Ashes Test and therefore the series 4-1. |
| 1:00.5 | We'll look at how we expect the team to line up, who's vulnerable to being dropped, |
| 1:05.5 | who's ready to step in, former England wicketkeeper Matt Pryor, |
| 1:09.6 | World Cup winner Alex Hartley and former England fast bowler, Stephen Finn, with us for the next 55 minutes. |
| 1:15.7 | I'm supposed to start with, and I'll start with you, Alex, alongside me in the studio. |
| 1:20.7 | It's how many are locked in and how many places are up for grabs. |
| 1:25.7 | Bearing mind, we're still two months away from the test. |
| 1:29.3 | So out of an 11, how many are locked in? |
| 1:32.5 | I think the majority would be locked in. |
| 1:34.6 | I think you've got to look at the opening partnership |
... |
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