Bowler Cook to make England debut against Zimbabwe

Essex bowler Sam Cook will make his England debut successful this week's Test against Zimbabwe, coach Brendon McCullum has confirmed.

The 27-year-old, who has been prolific successful caller seasons successful region cricket, will shape an inexperienced bowling onslaught pinch Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Durham bowler Matthew Potts and Somerset batter James Rew are nan 2 players from nan 13-strong squad to person been near out.

Zak Crawley has been retained arsenic opener arsenic expected while Ollie Pope returns to number 3 from nan mediate bid pinch Jamie Smith backmost arsenic wicketkeeper aft paternity leave.

The match, a four-day Test and Zimbabwe's first successful England since 2003, originates astatine Trent Bridge connected Thursday.

England person often favoured gait aliases variety successful tallness aliases perspective successful caller selections but Cook is simply a much traditional, skilful seam bowler - his debut a reward for his superb County Championship record.

Cook's 227 County Championship wickets were nan astir by immoderate seamer successful nan past 5 years while his wide haul of 321 first-class wickets person travel astatine an mean of only 19.85.

But nan gait trio of Cook, Tongue and Atkinson contains only 13 Test caps, making it England's astir inexperienced gait onslaught for 22 years.

This will beryllium only nan 2nd location Test England person begun without immoderate of Chris Woakes, James Anderson aliases Stuart Broad - nan second 2 person now retired - successful nan past 18 years.

Woakes and Mark Wood, England's 2 astir knowledgeable gait bowlers, are presently injured.

Nottinghamshire's Tongue will connection skipper Ben Stokes a faster bowling action and returns for his first Test since nan 2023 Ashes.

Hamstring and pectoral injuries prevented him from adding to nan 2 appearances he made that summer, successful which he took 10 wickets.

The Zimbabwe Test originates a defining tally for England's red-ball broadside pinch a five-match bid against India to travel from 20 June and nan Ashes successful Australia this winter.