THE OVAL — England made five changes for this second Test against New Zealand amidst the fallout from the Ben Stokes affair.
Yet the fact Rehan Ahmed was not one of them was shown to be the monumental blunder it always was as the contest slipped away from them on this blisteringly-hot third day in south-east London.
Things have been hard enough for Joe Root this week having been thrust back into the captaincy on an interim basis in the wake of Stokes’ and Gus Atkinson’s curfew-busting night out that followed the opening Test victory at Lord’s.
But the sight of Root opting to turn over his arm before tea as New Zealand’s batters piled on the runs confirmed what we all knew – if any day in England was suited for spin-bowling this was it.
Those thoughts were solidified after tea when Jacob Bethell’s part-time left-arm spin split the 161-run third-wicket stand between Rachin Ravindra and Henry Nicholls, the former trapped lbw.
Rehan Ahmed should be playing this Test (Photo: Getty)With the mercury nudging 30 degrees, Bethell found turn and bounce on a pitch that was doing absolutely nothing for the seamers once the lacquer had come off the new ball.
This was a day built for a frontline slow bowler and in Ahmed, England had one who could have also helped balance the team in the absence of Stokes.
That they chose not to turn to the 21-year-old leg-spinner despite a churn in selection that had not been see in an England Test XI since 1999, was another damning indictment on this management group.
Shots of coach Brendon McCullum on his walkie-talkie have been ubiquitous during this match. This is all part of the shtick that is meant to make us believe he has changed following his team’s hammering in last winter’s Ashes in Australia.
But ignoring the claims of Ahmed for this Test, instead choosing to pick an extra batter in Jordan Cox rather than an all-rounder, really does prove he’s changed.
Where’s the coach who in the early years of Bazball urged his players to “run towards the danger”?
What we have here is cowardice in terms of selection and England were made to pay on a run-laden day that saw Henry Nicholls notch up his first Test century against England for eight years and New Zealand stretch their lead to 352 with seven wickets to spare.
Ahmed was the brave pick. He could have batted at No 7 and offered the 24 overs of spin so far bowled between Root and Bethell over these first three days so far. Probably more given he has 22 Test wickets in his five appearances to date.
The Ravindra/Nicholls partnership is broken at last! pic.twitter.com/mApuFX6Rge
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 19, 2026But this is nothing new. Shoaib Bashir was picked for the first Test at Lord’s when Stokes was available. He didn’t bowl a single ball.
No surprise given the seam-friendly pitch served up there. But this came after an Ashes series where he was overlooked for all five Tests, England instead opting for the fill-in option of Will Jacks.
Bashir’s exclusion for this Test was largely ignored given the focus on Stokes and the number of changes to the XI.
It’s also understandable why he wasn’t picked here. Yet he surely wouldn’t have done any worse than Matthew Fisher – a seamer whose biggest contribution so far in this match is the half-century he scored with the bat that kept the first-innings deficit to 100.
England are now in the situation where they seemingly don’t trust either of their up-and-coming spin options in Ahmed or Bashir, while the trusty, seasoned choice in Jack Leach looks surplus to requirements despite having taken 142 Test wickets at 34 during his England career.
With Stokes now set to return for next week’s third Test at Trent Bridge, Ahmed’s chance, for this series at least, appears to have gone. Bashir, who spun England to victory against Zimbabwe in Nottingham last summer, is likely to return.
But it leaves Ahmed, a mainstay in the squad for these first two Tests, wondering exactly where he fits in.
This wouldn’t be the first time England’s handling of young talent has left a lot to be desired.
But the opportunity to do something genuinely exciting this week by putting their faith in a leg-spinner who is also a genuine batting talent looks like it has cost them this match.
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