The Test match summer is edging closer.

England begin a huge nine months of red-ball cricket with a one-off game against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge from May 22, before five fixtures at home to India and then five away in Australia as they look to win The Ashes for the first time since 2015.

So, who should open the batting for those challenges?

Ben Duckett is a shoo-in after averaging over 40 and scoring more than 2,000 runs in 28 games since returning to the team in 2022 – but his top-order partner is up for debate due to Zak Crawley’s average of 15.14 across his last 14 Test innings.

England value Crawley highly and have placed plenty of faith in him.

They have been willing to accept a lack of consistency because of what he is capable of at his best, highlighted by an average north of 40 against Australia and a sublime 189 against them during the 2023 Ashes Test at Emirates Old Trafford.

Yet there are players making a case in County Championship cricket, so perhaps the Crawley-Duckett partnership is not set in stone…

Zak Crawley

Man in possession Crawley averaged just 8.66 in New Zealand late last year, with a top-score of 21 in six innings and four single-digit dismissals, and he has only passed fifty once in his last eight Tests stretching back to last summer.

However, the batter has flourished against Australia in the past and England think he can do so again when the Ashes is held on what could very well be bouncy and true pitches this winter.

Crawley’s impetus at the top of the order has been a hallmark of the Bazball era to date, helping England get ahead in games even if mega individual scores have frequently eluded him.

The hierarchy are all in on Crawley and it looks unlikely that faith will wane just yet, but if his lean form continues against Zimbabwe and India, a decision may have to be made.

Tom Haines

Sussex left-hander Haines is the leading run-scorer in County Championship Division One at time of writing – 449 across three games with his two hundreds including a knock of 174 against Surrey.

We know England director of cricket Rob Key is a fan, with his last tweet before taking that role three years ago saying Haines “looks a bloody good player in my humble opinion.” The numbers back Key up as Haines’ career average is a shade under 40.

Rehan Ahmed

This would be a maverick move but we know England are not immune to those.

Leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan has moved to the top of the order for Leicestershire this season and gone on to biff 77 from 59 balls against Derbyshire and then a 149-ball 100 against Lancashire. Attacking verve from the opening position England seem to adore.

Picking Rehan to open alongside Duckett would also allow them to get another spinner into the side – he could also be the sole spinner if Shoaib Bashir were to be preferred to another seamer – so maybe this selection would not be as out there as it seems.

Jacob Bethell

Speaking of out there picks and Bethell was very much one of those when he was called into England’s Test squad for the New Zealand series and ultimately ended up batting at No 3, despite never having scored a professional hundred.

But the 21-year-old acquitted himself very well, scoring three half-centuries, including 96 in his second Test, while playing virtually as an opener. Across the three Tests, Bethell never came in later than the fifth over, so maybe opening could be in his future.

The Warwickshire man may be out of the running for the Zimbabwe Test due to his IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and it could be that if he stays in the England XI long term that he nudges out Ollie Pope for the No 3 spot.

Ben McKinney

Durham’s McKinney, 20, is a player of real promise, scoring a century for England Lions in Australia over the winter and then amassing 153 against Warwickshire in the County Championship last week.

Speaking about the former England Under-19 captain, Sky Sports pundit Charles Dagnall said: “I know how much England like McKinney, who is tall and reminds me of Marcus Trescothick.

“His footwork is minimal but his eyes are fantastic. He is forceful, powerful and has a solid defence.”

Alex Lees

McKinney’s Durham team-mate and fellow left-hander Lees was there at the start of Bazball only to be axed by England and replaced by Duckett as Crawley’s opening partner in late 2022.

Lees responded to his dropping by racking up over 1,300 runs – including five hundreds and as many fifties – in the County Championship in 2023, before making 924 runs in 2024 on his team’s return to the top flight.

This year, the 32-year-old has just notched 172 against his former county Yorkshire at a strike-rate north of 70.

Who else could be in the mix?

Three previous England openers in Haseeb Hameed (Nottinghamshire), Dom Sibley (Surrey) and Keaton Jennings (Lancashire) will hope their names are mentioned in selection meetings after decent starts to the season.

In fact, Sibley’s start has been more than decent with two hundreds and two half-centuries in his five innings so far, although his strike-rate of 42 may hamper his hopes of a recall.

Hameed registered innings of 92 and 138 not out in his previous two outings, while in Division Two, Jennings recorded scores of 55, 49, 96 and 49 for Lancashire before two cheap exits against Leicestershire.

England men’s Test matches this summer ☀️

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports

• vs Zimbabwe: Thursday May 22-Sunday May 25 – Trent Bridge
• vs India: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 – Headingley
• vs India: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 – Edgbaston
• vs India: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 – Lord’s
• vs India: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 – Emirates Old Trafford
• vs India: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval

Ashes series in Australia 2025-26 🏏

All times UK and Ireland

• First Test: Friday November 21-Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, Perth
• Second Test: Thursday December 4-Monday December 8 (4.30am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
• Third Test: Wednesday December 17-Sunday December 21 (12am) – Adelaide Oval
• Fourth Test: Thursday December 25-Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
• Fifth Test: Sunday January 4-Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground