In their one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month, Ben Stokes was named in a 13-man squad that was announced on Friday, giving him the all-clear to lead England.
The 33-year-old all-rounder has had hamstring surgery since suffering a broken hamstring in December, which is his second hamstring tear in five months.
Stokes hasn’t played for county side Durham this season, but he will lead England in the opening Test of their home season at Trent Bridge, which will be played over four days rather than the regular five.
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Sam Cook, an uncapped Essex seamer, is also in the squad and could make his Test debut in Nottingham, along with injured pacers Olly Stone, Brydon Carse, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.
Express-switched Jofra Archer isn’t currently regarded as qualified for international red-ball cricket.
Although Cook, 27, has taken 318 first-class wickets for an impressive under-20 rating, doubts persist as to whether he is quick enough to perform well in the Tests.
Along with Jordan Cox, his Essex teammate, who might play as the reserve batsman, Cook is one of the other two uncapped players in the squad.
Batter Jacob Bethell, who impressed during England’s tour of New Zealand, is currently playing for Bengaluru’s Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League, effectively excluding him from the Zimbabwe match.
Josh Tongue, a paceman for Nottinghamshire who last played for England during the 2023 Ashes, will hope to return to Test action on his home turf.
With concerns about Stokes’ ability to bowl, he might join a pace attack that includes Cook and Gus Atkinson.
Ollie Pope appears poised to make his first appearance as the number three batsman while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has maintained his place despite his inconsistent performances this season.
Zimbabwe’s first Test match in England since 2003 will be here.
Zimbabwe have since lost a significant number of matches, but they won their first Test by three wickets in Sylhet last week.
England and India will also face off in a five-test series before the 2025/26 Ashes in Australia at the start of Stokes’ men’s busy home summer.
England squad
Ben Stokes (capt), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt), and Josh Tongue are the guests.
Source: Channels TV
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