Essex seamer Sam Cook is set to make his England debut after being included in the squad to play Zimbabwe in the opening Test of the summer. Cook has been a prolific wicket-taker in the County Championship and has finally been handed an opportunity with England.
The 27-year-old has taken 302 County Championship wickets at an average of 18.49 and has timed his run well, with injuries opening the door for the Zimbabwe Test, which starts at Trent Bridge on May 22.
Mark Wood has been ruled out until the end of July with a knee injury, while Chris Woakes is still trying to regain full fitness after an ankle injury. Brydon Carse and Olly Stone are also ruled out, while Jofra Archer is being lined up for a Lions game to ease him back into red ball action.
Cook has been earmarked for inclusion this summer after impressing while on tour with the England Lions in Australia earlier this year. A debut then looked all but guaranteed after Essex agreed to rest their star bowler for a County Championship match two weeks ago to keep him fresh for his country.
He has been joined in the squad by his Essex team-mate Jordan Cox, who could finally make his debut after a broken finger robbed him of the chance last year. The wicket-keeper batter had been in line to play against New Zealand, with Jamie Smith on paternity leave, before a cruel injury struck.
There is bound to be an inexperienced air to the England bowling attack, with Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts the most seasoned, despite having just 11 and 10 caps to their names respectively.
Josh Tongue is an exciting inclusion, with the fast bowler returning two summers after making a real impression by taking 10 wickets across his first two Tests against Ireland and Australia. The Nottinghamshire fast bowler has struggled with injuries since then, but has proved himself with 15 wickets at 24.26 at the start of the season.
Ben Stokes is poised to make his first appearance of the year at Trent Bridge after recovering from his hamstring injury. The England captain could feature as a batter only to protect his fitness ahead of Tests against India and the Ashes in Australia later in the year.
Zak Crawley retains his position as an opener alongside Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope could bat at No.3, with Joe Root and Harry Brook following in the batting order.
After the current round of the County Championship, the squad will meet up on May 10, with a training camp in Loughborough planned before the Test in Nottingham.
Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain
Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Sam Cook (Essex)
Jordan Cox (Essex)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Matthew Potts (Durham)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
England vs Zimbabwe: Thursday May 22 – Sunday May 25 – Trent Bridge
England vs India: Friday June 20 – Tuesday June 24 – Headingley
England vs India: Wednesday July 2 – Sunday July 6 – Edgbaston
England vs India: Thursday July 10 – Monday July 14 – Lord’s
England vs India: Wednesday July 23 – Sunday July 27 – Emirates Old Trafford
England vs India: Thursday July 31 – Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval
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