We’ve picked our England XIs for the first Test — and after the opening round of the County Championship, the selection conversation is already shifting.

In this episode, Geraint Jones and Sanjay Murthy reveal their England teams, build a watchlist of contenders, and start tracking the players who could force their way in before the first Test against New Zealand national cricket team on 4 June.

There’s a big focus on Jamie Smith after his hundred for Surrey batting at three. Is he already a certainty, and what does Ben Foakes’ form mean for the keeper debate?

We also get into:

• who opens alongside Ben Duckett
• spinner options and balance of the side
• standout county performances
• the England “watchlist”
• who is pushing their way into contention

This is the start of a weekly England selection tracker through the County Championship.

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00:00 Cold open
00:10 Intro
00:40 Jamie Smith: in or out?
02:00 Jonesy’s England XI
05:20 Sanjay’s England XI
09:50 Hardest selection calls
13:30 Spinner debate & team balance
17:00 Who are we least convinced by?
22:00 County Championship — early performances
25:30 Watchlist: players pushing for selection
31:00 Robinson, Lawrence & county standouts
37:30 Silly Point
41:00 England pathway — Lions vs County
46:30 Final pressure points
48:30 Close — who needs runs next week