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On a day when England named three uncapped players in their Test squad, and announced a return for Ollie Robinson after two years in cold storage, perhaps the most significant news was the identity of their new fielding coach.

Sarah Taylor, the former England wicketkeeper, will be in charge of the fielding drills during the three-Test series against New Zealand that gets under way at Lord’s on 4 June – the first female coach to work in the men’s senior setup.

The fact that Rob Key, the England men’s team director, almost mentioned it in passing was fitting for a coach who has quietly risen through the ranks. Taylor, 36, has held a number of roles in the men’s game since hanging up her bat five years ago, including spells with Sussex men and Manchester Originals in the Hundred.

This latest posting is just for the New Zealand series initially but may continue as the summer rolls on. Taylor is already on the England payroll, having been part of the Lions coaching setup under Andrew Flintoff since late 2024.

Fielding was one of England’s many shortcomings during the winter’s wretched 4-1 Ashes defeat, with 17 catches going down. The series postmortem – one that saw Key and head coach Brendon McCullum keep their jobs – also included a pledge to better engage with county cricket and give more weight to domestic performances.

To that end, and with former Australia Test batter Marcus North confirmed as a new full-time selector after leaving Durham, England have handed maiden call-ups to Emilio Gay and James Rew, two heavy run-scorers in the County Championship.

Of the two, Gay is confirmed to open alongside Ben Duckett. The left-hander’s call-up follows an excellent start to the season under North, averaging 92 from No 3, plus four centuries in Division One last year. Capped by Italy in T20 cricket, the 26-year-old has also turned down an approach from West Indies in the past.

Rew will serve as the spare batter in the squad – plus back-up to Jamie Smith with the gloves – but with 12 centuries for Somerset and just 22 years old, his time will surely come. Either way, bringing in two heavy domestic run-scorers does represent a shift of sorts, given Zak Crawley is the player heading the other way.

Crawley got his chance due to a belief that, while never prolific at Kent, his style was suited to international cricket. But a Test average of 31 from 64 caps is the lowest of any Test opener in history with over 3,000 runs and, in the end, England opted to step away from the fruit machine rather than continue sticking in coins.

If there is hope for Crawley – or Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts and Will Jacks who were similarly in Australia but are now on the sidelines – then it comes in the unlikely form of Robinson and proof that the door is never shut.

Ignored since early 2024 on account of his struggle to be fit for the rigours of bowling in Test cricket, Robinson admitted he thought his chance had gone. But now, aged 32 and having captained Sussex to three wins that would see them top of the table but for their points deduction, he is down to take the new ball at Lord’s.

Key said: “When Ollie Robinson is fit and bowling at a decent pace – around 82mph – he is world class. He is right up there statistically [with Test 76 wickets at 22]. We have monitored him a lot, spoken to him, and he seems back to full fitness.”

Robinson is one of six seamers in the squad, including captain Ben Stokes, with Sonny Baker a third uncapped player after impressing with his pace and skill at Hampshire. Gus Atkinson would seem the likely candidate to partner Robinson, even if Key confirmed that Stokes is also considering the role.

Another decision to be made is the first choice spinner after North and the selection panel furnished Stokes and McCullum with two options. Shoaib Bashir is retained, despite being overlooked for Jacks in Australia, while leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed has the chance to win his first Test cap at home.

Ahmed and Jacob Bethell will join the Test squad after returning from the Indian Premier League – Bethell straight into the XI, after his maiden Test century in Sydney in January. But Jofra Archer will be given time to build up his workloads after spending the last two months bowling four-over spells.

The fact that England are now forced to wait for Archer to get up to speed points to a central contract system no longer delivering on its original stated aim: to ready players for international duty by controlling their schedule. As North will discover, the role of selector is less straightforward than during his playing days.