Lancashire star Liam Livingstone was the surprise omission as England named their 13-man squad for the first two Test matches against New Zealand this summer.
Having won just one of their last 17 Tests, new England head coach Brendon McCullum was expected to embark on a radical overhaul of the line-up.
However, Harry Brook (Yorkshire) and Matthew Potts (Durham) are the only new names in the squad having made impressive starts to the 2022 County Championship season.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad return after being left out of the squad that toured West Indies in March, but Livingstone has been overlooked again.
The Lancashire batsmen has been superb in shorter versions of the game, sparking widespread calls for him to be handed a chance at Test level.
He took three wickets in his most recent outing in the Indian Premier League, perfectly highlighting his all-round ability.
Australian cricket legend Shane Warne tipped Livingstone for a call-up last year, while former England star Kevin Pietersen recently gave him his backing.
Writing in his Betway column before the squad was announced, Pietersen urged England to give Livingstone the opportunity to shine on the highest stage.
“He is so free-spirited and I love the way that he is eager to entertain,” he wrote. “He wants to give it a smack so he just does, no holding back. It’s awesome to watch.
“There aren’t many better batters than him in England, I tell you. He’s used to playing in this high-pressure environment and he’s loving it.
“I would have him straight in the Test side at five or six. He can change the nature of a match very quickly by taking bowling attacks apart.
“Of course, he would fail at times, but when he goes well, crikey, you would have a guy who can destroy the opposition by scoring quick, entertaining runs.”
While Livingstone can count himself unfortunate to miss out, the inclusion of Brook and Potts is a step in the right direction for England.
Brook has hit 758 runs across eight County Championship innings at an average of 151.6 this term, making him the standout batsman in first-class cricket.
Potts has taken 35 wickets, including 11 as Durham beat Glamorgan last week. He posted career-best figures of seven for 40 in the second innings.
The pressure will be on the pair to perform against a New Zealand side that has climbed to third in the Test rankings.
The Kiwis won the inaugural World Test Championship last year and claimed a series victory over England when the two teams met last summer.
England are currently sixth in the Test standings and desperately need to turn things around under McCullum and new captain Ben Stokes.
England Test squad: Ben Stokes (Durham, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset), Alex Lees (Durham), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire).
