He sustained a blow to his right hand during nets; his replacement will be announced in due course
Jordan Cox has been excluded from England’s Test series against New Zealand following a fractured right thumb sustained during a practice session prior to the final day of their tour match against the Prime Minister’s XI.
The incident took place on Sunday morning in Queenstown, where the England team has been training for the first Test, scheduled to commence on Thursday at the Hagley Oval. Cox was transported to a local hospital for an examination, which confirmed the severity of his injury. The 24-year-old was poised to make his Test debut, as regular wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is absent from the tour due to the birth of his first child.
A replacement will be announced in due course, with Durham’s Ollie Robinson anticipated to receive his first call-up, ahead of England’s white-ball regular Phil Salt and Essex’s Michael Pepper, who recently toured the Caribbean with the limited-overs squad. Other wicketkeeping alternatives include Somerset’s James Rew and Lancashire’s Matty Hurst, both of whom are set to tour South Africa with the Lions. Jonny Bairstow, who still has a year remaining on his central contract, is not expected to be recalled at this time.
Ollie Pope filled in for Cox during the final stages of the warm-up match; however, England is cautious about placing additional responsibilities on him beyond his role at No. 3. Following an average of 11 during last month’s tour of Pakistan, a strong performance from Cox could have challenged the selectors’ commitment to the vice-captain.
Cox will need to wait a bit longer to complete his collection of caps, having made his debut in the ODI and T20I formats over the past two months. He will continue to be part of the squad in Christchurch and may consider taking a break in Australia before returning home, as he has had limited time off since the conclusion of the English summer.
“I am disappointed for Jordan (Cox),” stated Test head coach Brendon McCullum. “He has been performing well with both bat and gloves since our arrival in New Zealand.
“Such is the nature of sport, and regrettably, these situations arise. We will support him and ensure he is taken care of. He is a resilient individual, and his opportunity will come in due course.”
The immediate aftermath of Cox’s injury left England short of bodies for play on Sunday, resulting in James Anderson donning the whites four months after he was pushed into international retirement. With three players opting out of the match for extra time in the nets, Anderson subbed in the field, alongside captain Ben Stokes who had chosen to sit out the first day’s play.
Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed will join the rest of the squad in Christchurch on Monday after a few days off following the white-ball tour of the Caribbean which finished last week. Cox’s replacement should be on deck in the next 48 hours.