Jordan Cox set for recall to England Test squad for Zimbabwe

Cliff Notes – Jordan Cox set for recall to England Test squad for Zimbabwe

• Sam Cook and Jordan Cox are included in England’s Test squad for the one-off match against Zimbabwe, starting May 22, amid injuries to key bowlers.
• Cook’s impressive domestic performance and Cox’s return from injury highlight their potential contributions, although Cox may initially serve as a spare batter.

Jordan Cox set for recall to England Test squad for Zimbabwe

The uncapped duo of Sam Cook and Jordan Cox are set to feature in England men’s first Test squad of the summer for their one-off fixture against Zimbabwe later this month.

The Essex team-mates are understood to be part of an otherwise expected group, with England’s selectors contending with injuries to key bowlers. The Trent Bridge Test, which begins on May 22, is the first steps in a blockbuster nine months featuring headline series against India and the Ashes in Australia.

Cook’s maiden call-up was telegraphed a fortnight ago when Essex rested their premier seamer for their Division One fixture against Worcestershire, despite the fact he does not possess a central contract. His seven wickets in the opening two rounds took his overall domestic tally for the county to 302 dismissals at a remarkably low average of 18.49.

The 27-year-old was a bright spot on the Lions tour of Australia earlier this year, impressing coaches with his ability to transfer his skills with the Dukes ball to the Kookaburra. That he was even on the trip at all was a further feather in his cap, as he underlined his desire to break into the Test side by spurning franchise opportunities, having made the reverse decision during the previous winter.

With Chris Woakes still regaining his fitness with Warwickshire after an ankle injury sustained during the SA20, Cook’s path to the XI is a little clearer, with his threat carried in his skill rather than pace. Woakes’ absence, along with Mark Wood’s knee injury – ruling him out until the end of July – gives the attack a decidedly green feel, with Gus Atkinson (11 caps) and Matthew Potts (10) the most experienced seamers in the group. Offspinner Shoaib Bashir, who keeps his place despite a tough start to the season on loan at Glamorgan, is the most capped out-and-out bowler with 15.

Cox rejoins the squad after a broken finger robbed him of a Test bow at the beginning of last year’s tour of New Zealand. The keeper-batter was guaranteed a starting berth behind the stumps against the Black Caps with Jamie Smith on paternity leave. However, a fractured right thumb sustained during a net session in Queenstown ruled him out of the tour just three days out from the first Test.

This will be the third time Cox has earned a call-up to the Test squad, with the first coming last summer against Sri Lanka after Ben Stokes tore his hamstring during the Hundred. He has put the winter’s disappointment behind him, beginning the 2025 season with 117 against Surrey, his ninth first-class century, and 82 against Nottinghamshire in the second round. He is averaging 63.75 across three Division One fixtures, scoring his 255 runs at a strike rate of 73.48 that underlines his attractiveness to the current regime.

Cox will likely have to wait a little longer to make it a full set of international caps. With Smith returning to the fold and Jacob Bethell away on IPL duty with Royal Challengers Bengaluru until the completion of their tournament – as per the ECB’s agreement with the BCCI – Ollie Pope will likely slot back in at No. 3 with Cox having to make do as a spare batter.

There is seemingly no place for Ben McKinney. The highly regarded opener has established himself in Durham’s four-day side, showing his worth with 153 in the second round of the Championship against Warwickshire. That came off the back of rave reviews on the Lions tour, on which he struck a run-a-ball 110 in the unofficial Test against Australia A.

Josh Tongue bowls during his first outing for Nottinghamshire Getty Images

McKinney’s absence underlines the management’s backing of Zak Crawley, despite his recent struggles. A tough winter – averaging 27.80 on the tour of Pakistan, then 8.66 in New Zealand – bled into the start of his county campaign, though he has managed two half-centuries in four games for promotion-chasing Kent.

Crawley’s last outings against Australia (at home in 2023) and India (away in 2024) – averaging 53.33 and 40.70, respectively – are likely to be cited as strong reasons to persist with him given the challenges that lie ahead. A five-match series with India begins on June 20, before five Tests in Australia on pitches that are expected to suit Crawley’s shot-making qualities.

Josh Tongue is also expected to return to the set-up for the first time in two years, having battled pectoral and hamstring injuries since making his first two Test appearances in the 2023 summer. Tongue has started the summer superbly, taking 15 wickets for Nottinghamshire at 24.26, showcasing the kind of pace that will be vital given Wood, Brydon Carse and Olly Stone are out injured.

The Zimbabwe Test will also be Ben Stokes’ first competitive match of the year after tearing his left hamstring for the second time in six months in England’s final Test in New Zealand. An operation in January has been followed by intense rehabilitation, with the skipper said to be looking as fit as he ever has done.

Though Stokes has stepped up his bowling, there is a chance he will operate solely as a batter initially, before building himself back in the run-up to the India series so he can operate as a full allrounder. Speaking on the latest Sky cricket Podcast, Wood, who believes he has an outside shot at making the end of the India series, revealed Stokes could feature in one of the two England Lions four-day fixtures against India A, which take place at Canterbury (beginning May 30) and Northampton (June 6). Jofra Archer could also be eased back into red-ball action in that series.

A number of the squad will be in County Championship action this week, with Joe Root and Harry Brook making their first appearances of the season as Yorkshire host Warwickshire at Headingley.

The players will meet up for Test duty in London on the weekend of May 10, with head coach Brendon McCullum arriving from New Zealand that week. They will then head to Loughborough for a training camp – which is likely to be attended by those outside the squad, such as Carse – before being given time off ahead of the Test match week, when they will reconvene in Nottingham.