Cook earns maiden England call-up for Zimbabwe Test

Essex seamer Sam Cook has earned a maiden England call-up, joining Jordan Cox as the two uncapped players in the squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe.

Cook has been a stand-out performer in county cricket and is rewarded with a chance on the international stage, with England missing a number of players through injury.

Cox, who missed out on a Test debut against New Zealand in December due to a broken thumb, is recalled as cover for the top order.

Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse and Olly Stone are all absent, while Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer, who continues his route back to red-ball cricket, are both unavailable due to their commitments in the Indian Premier League.

Welcome, Sam Cook!County: EssexFirst Class Wickets: 318Average: 19.77Serious numbers pic.twitter.com/5IYWovmeBC
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 2, 2025

England have only played one home Test without at least one of Woakes, James Anderson or Stuart Broad in their XI since 2007.

Cook joins Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, who is in line to play his first Test in two years after struggling with injuries, among the seam options available to captain Ben Stokes.

Stokes himself is fit to feature at Trent Bridge, with the Test beginning on May 22, after having surgery on the hamstring he tore during England's series win over New Zealand.

Zimbabwe's last Test in the UK was in 2003, a series famous for the debut of Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker.

England squad: 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.