LONDON — England has announced their cricket squad for the upcoming one-off test against Zimbabwe, scheduled to take place at Trent Bridge starting May 22. Notably, the squad includes two uncapped players from Essex—Sam Cook, a talented seamer, and Jordan Cox, a dynamic batter.
Sam Cook, 27, has been a standout performer in first-class cricket, securing 318 wickets in 88 matches with an impressive average of 19.77. Despite his success, Cook has often been overlooked in favor of faster bowlers. However, with the recent retirements of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, as well as Chris Woakes being sidelined due to injury, there is a newly opened opportunity for a skilled swing and seam specialist like Cook. His recent performances, including taking 13 wickets during the England Lions’ tour of Australia earlier in the year, have further bolstered his selection.
Jordan Cox was set to debut for the England team during their New Zealand tour before being sidelined by a thumb injury sustained in practice. Now fully recovered, the hard-hitting batter is eager to make an impact in the upcoming test match.
Ben Stokes, the English captain, has been recovering from a severe hamstring injury and has yet to play for Durham this season. It remains uncertain how much he will bowl in the test against Zimbabwe. England is heavily favored going into this four-day match, as Zimbabwe has not played a test match in England since 2003.
In related news, the BBC has renewed its broadcasting contract with the England and Wales Cricket Board for another four years, ensuring continued coverage of highlights from all of England’s home international matches. Additionally, the agreement includes broadcast rights for eight live double-header matches in The Hundred competition.
The England squad for the test against Zimbabwe is as follows: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, and Josh Tongue.