Cook, Cox included in England Men's squad for Test against Zimbabwe

The England Men’s selection panel has named a 13-player squad for the upcoming Rothesay Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, which begins on Thursday, 22 May 2025.

This historic fixture marks Zimbabwe’s first Test on English soil since 2003 and is set to launch England’s international summer.

The squad includes two uncapped players at Test level – Essex duo Sam Cook and Jordan Cox.

Cook, 27, has been one of the most consistent bowlers in County cricket in recent years.

He boasts 318 first-class wickets at an average of 19.77 and impressed on the England Lions tour of Australia over the winter, taking 13 wickets across three matches.

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Nottinghamshire seamer Josh Tongue earns a recall to the Test squad, having last featured during the Ashes in 2023.

After overcoming a series of injuries, he has been in impressive form this season with 15 wickets at an average of 24 in the Championship.

The batting lineup remains mostly the same from England’s previous Test series against New Zealand, with Zak Crawley keeping his place despite short of runs-he has not scored a half-century in his last five Tests.

This will also be England captain Ben Stokes’ first competitive match of the year after suffering from a hamstring injury for the second time in six months in England’s final Test in New Zealand.

England Men’s squad for Test Match against Zimbabwe

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)

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