ENG vs ZIM: Two Uncapped Players Included in Ben Stokes-Led England Squad For One-Off Test Against Zimbabwe

ENG vs ZIM: Uncapped players Sam Cook and Jordan Cox have been included in the Ben Stokes-led England squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe, scheduled to be held at Trent Bridge in Nottinghampshire from May 22.

Skipper Stokes has been confirmed to take charge of the red-ball lineup, having made his recovery from a left hamstring tear injury during the three-Test series against New Zealand as part of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle late last year.

Cook and Cox, both uncapped in Test, represent Essex in the County Championship. Cook has been rewarded for his consistent displays at the domestic level, while Cox has also earned selection after his consistent run in domestic circuit.

The 27-year-old Cook, who is yet to feature for the senior team in any format, has fetched 318 first-class wickets, averaging an impressive 19.77, and also stood out with the ball for the England Lions on their tour of Australia earlier this year - snapping 13 wickets from three matches.

The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Cox, who made his ODI and T20I debut last year, has earned his first Test call after being among the top run-scorers at the County Championship this season - amassing 918 runs from 11 matches that includes four centuries and two half-centuries.

Also making a return to the Test setup is wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith, who had opted out of England's tour of New Zealand for the birth of his first child. Pacer Josh Tongue has also marked a comeback to the red-ball setup, having last featured in the Ashes Down Under back in 2023.

Tongue will join Cook, Stokes, Gus Atkinson and Matthew Potts as the pace bowling options, while Shoaib Bashir will be the lone specialist spinner with Joe Root also in the side as an off-spinning option.

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and new white ball captain Harry Brook make the rest of the 13-member England squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, which kickstarts England's home summer. Here is a look England Test squad vs Zimbabwe:

England squad for one-off Test against Zimbabwe

Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.

Stokes and Co will then continue their home schedule with five Tests against India starting June with the series marking the beginning of the next ICC World Test Championship cycle. Meanwhile, the white-ball team will also be in action against of West Indies, South Africa and Ireland through the course of the English summer.