The England Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a 13-member side for the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe that will be played later this month.
The Test match kicks off a long home summer for England, who will be hosting the West Indies followed by a five-match Test series against India.
The Test series will be a part of the WC 2025-27 campaign for both teams. India failed to make it to the WTC final after losses to New Zealand and Australia in consecutive Test series.
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England Will Be Led By Ben Stokes
England has added two new uncapped players to the squad, Sam Cook and Jordan Cox. Cook is a pacer while Cox is a wicketkeeper-batter. Meanwhile, Josh Tongue has been recalled to the England squad as well.
Jordan Cox missed out on his Test debut against the Kiwis in December 2024 due to a fractured right thumb. Meanwhile, Sam Cook has been one of the most consistent bowlers in County Cricket with 318 wickets at an average of 19.77.
The presence of Zack Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope, and skipper Ben Stokes makes the England batting lineup look formidable. England has been playing Test cricket with a lot of attacking intent in the recent past, popularized by the term "Bazball." It will be interesting to see what brand of cricket they play against Zimbabwe.
The Test match against Zimbabwe will be played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham from May 21 to 25 and will be the first Test between England and Zimbabwe since 2003.
After the Test match ends, England's next Test assignment will be against India as they will play a five-match series, which is one of the most high-profile Test series this year.
England Squad For Zimbabwe Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Jordan Cox (wk), Sam Cook, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue
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