- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 476,047
- Reaction score
- 45
You must be registered for see images attach
Sam Cook looks likely to play for England against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge - Getty Images/Harry Trump
Sam Cook is in line to make a long-awaited Test debut against Zimbabwe in three weeks’ time after receiving his first England call up.
Essex seamer Cook has been a prolific wicket-taker in the County Championship (he has 318 first-class wickets at an average of under 20) since making his debut in 2017. He is one of two uncapped players in the squad to face Zimbabwe, which will be announced on Friday.
Another uncapped player selected is Cook’s Essex team-mate Jordan Cox, who is likely to be the spare batsman in the squad. Cox came very close to making his Test debut as a wicketkeeper-batsman when Jamie Smith was on paternity leave for the tour of New Zealand in December, only to go down injured.
In his absence, Jacob Bethell impressed at No 3, but is now at the Indian Premier League with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, effectively ruling him out of selection. That means Cox is back after another prolific start to the season with Essex. It appears there is no place yet for Ben McKinney, the tall Durham opening batsman.
You must be registered for see images attach
Jordan Cox has 255 runs at an average of 63.75 in four County Championship innings this year - PA/John Walton
There is a return for the twice-capped Josh Tongue, who has been in fine form for Nottinghamshire after not playing a single match in 2024. Gus Atkinson, Cook and Tongue looks the likely seam attack, with Matthew Potts in reserve.
In a settled squad, the likes of opener Zak Crawley and Shoaib Bashir are retained after tricky tours of New Zealand and modest returns early in the Championship season. Pope looks poised to return to No 3, while it is unclear if captain Ben Stokes will bowl. He has not played since undergoing surgery on a hamstring tear suffered in New Zealand.
The one-off, four-day Test against Zimbabwe – the two teams’ first Test meeting since James Anderson’s maiden series in 2003 – represents an appetiser for the five-match series that follows against India. After that, England travel to Australia for an era-defining Ashes series they have been building towards.
Cook will debut at a time when England have an extensive fast-bowling injury list, with Mark Wood and Olly Stone ruled out until midsummer.
Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse are closer to returning, while Jofra Archer is not considered “red-ball ready”. He is at the Indian Premier League until late this month, and has not played a Test for more than four years because of serious elbow and back issues. If he returns from India in good health he is expected to play at least one first-class match for England Lions to prove his fitness for Test cricket later in the summer. While sidelined, Wood will join Andrew Flintoff’s Lions coaching staff for one of those matches.
A statement from Warwickshire said Woakes was back in training and that “coach Ian Westwood hopes to be able to call on him later this month”. Carse, meanwhile, is expected to join England’s training camp at Loughborough, then play a couple of games for Durham to gear up for the India series.
Joe Root and Harry Brook will play their first – and likely only – Championship games of the new season for Yorkshire against Warwickshire at Headingley from Friday, while Crawley will continue his search for form by turning out for Kent at Lord’s.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Continue reading...
