Cox set to cover for Smith on New Zealand tour

Jordan Cox looks acceptable to marque his England Test debut connected the circuit of New Zealand, with Jamie Smith apt to miss portion of the bid for the commencement of his archetypal child.

Essex’s Cox, who turns 24 connected Monday, is the back-up wicketkeeper to Smith connected the existent circuit of Pakistan.

England play 3 Tests successful New Zealand successful November and December.

"At this signifier it looks similar Jamie volition astir apt play the archetypal 1 and whitethorn miss the adjacent two," said England caput manager Brendon McCullum.

"It's benignant of up to Mother Nature a small bit. New Zealand is simply a comfy spot to support wicket and it would beryllium large to person a look astatine Jordan Cox arsenic well."

Surrey keeper Smith, 24, has won 8 Test caps since being promoted to England’s first-choice gloveman astatine the opening of the location summer. He volition beryllium down the stumps for the bid decider against Pakistan successful Rawalpindi, opening connected Thursday.

Cox has played 2 T20 internationals for England and has been the spare batter and keeper successful the Test squad since the location bid against Sri Lanka successful the summer.

He joined Essex from Kent for the 2024 season, but has not kept wicket successful first-class cricket since July 2023 partially due to the fact that of a horrible digit wounded sustained playing successful The Hundred successful August of that year. In all, helium has kept successful lone six first-class matches.

"His keeping is solid," said McCullum, himself a erstwhile planetary wicketkeeper. "I've done a spot of enactment with him implicit the past small while.

"He’s really annoyingly bully astatine everything helium does, 1 of those guys that you look astatine and accidental he's got a precocious ceiling successful presumption of talent, peculiarly with bat successful hand.

"There's a just accidental he'll get the accidental successful New Zealand, if Jamie does instrumentality home, to bat down the bid and instrumentality the gloves."

England are owed to sanction their squad for the New Zealand circuit pursuing the last Test successful Pakistan.

The Smith concern could telephone for other batting cover, though not needfully different keeper due to the fact that Ollie Pope has filled successful down the stumps successful the past.

Dan Lawrence was tried during the bid against Sri Lanka, past dropped for the Pakistan tour.

Ben McKinney, the Durham 20-year-old, is highly rated and would springiness England a severely needed reserve opener, arsenic would Warwickshire’s Rob Yates. Somerset’s James Rew is an enactment for the middle-order and down the stumps. All 3 person been portion of the Lions set-up.

One different alteration for New Zealand would beryllium the dispensing of Rehan Ahmed, with nary request for a 3rd spinner.

An other seam-bowling spot could spell to Josh Hull, who was ruled retired of the circuit of Pakistan with a quad wounded but named successful a Lions grooming enactment for a travel to South Africa adjacent month. Dillon Pennington was named successful Test squads earlier this year, Jamie Overton played 1 Test successful 2022 but been plagued by backmost injuries since, and Hampshire’s John Turner has a cardinal contract.

England volition merchandise 2 players from the squad successful Pakistan to articulation the white-ball circuit of West Indies erstwhile the 3rd Test is nether way.

Cox is acceptable to beryllium 1 of those, alongside a bowler. Ahmed and paceman Olly Stone are truthful acold the lone bowlers successful Pakistan not to person played successful the archetypal 2 Tests, though Stone did instrumentality location past play to get married.

McCullum said Ahmed could "potentially" travel into contention for the last Test if Pakistan hole different adust surface, similar the hosts did for the second Test which they won by 152 runs to level the series.

"We'll person a look astir it and travel up with our tactics and evidently spot what's going to beryllium required to springiness ourselves the champion accidental of nabbing the bid win," helium said.