England call up youngster as injury replacement

Wicket-keeper batter James Rew has earned a maiden call-up to the national side for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Thursday, 8 May.

The 21-year-old replaces wicket-keeper-batter Jordan Cox, who sustained an abdominal muscle injury while batting for Essex against Somerset. Cox was seen clutching the lower left side of his torso while also receiving treatment for his injury and eventually retired hurt after scoring his century.

In a curious coincidence, Rew was the player behind the stumps when the injury occurred and now takes Cox’s place in the England squad.

Cox will miss out on the opportunity to make his England Test debut for the second time, having previously been ruled out of last year’s tour of New Zealand due to a finger injury.

England’s revised squad: Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, James Rew, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.

Cox's replacement Rew has been in sparkling form in the County Championship, batting at an incredible average of 54.21 with a highest score of 152. His most recent knock of 116 guided his side to victory over Essex.

A graduate of the England Lions pathway, Rew was part of the squad that toured Australia last winter and played a central role in the Young Lions’ run to the ICC U19 World Cup final in 2022, where he lined up alongside now-established internationals Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell.

Rew will join the Test squad at their pre-series training camp next week as preparations begin for the start of their packed international summer.