Injury concern for England batter ahead of busy Test summer
Two days after being called up for the Test squad against Zimbabwe, England's up-and-coming star retired hurt while playing in the County Championship.
England have been dealt with an injury scare just weeks before the start of their action-packed summer, with wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox forced to retire hurt while batting for Essex in a County Championship Division One match.
He was in fine touch, compiling a composed 103 in his innings, shortly after being named in England’s squad for the upcoming Test against Zimbabwe.
However, the 24-year-old fell to the ground, clutching his left side while batting on 99 after taking a quick single. He had shown signs of discomfort earlier in the innings and had already received treatment before eventually retiring hurt.
ALSO READ: England unveil squad for Zimbabwe Test ahead of blockbuster home summer of cricket
Cox stayed on the field only long enough to score a boundary as he completed his century and left the field of play. He did not return to the field for Essex in the following innings as a substitute was brought in.
Essex captain Tom Westley spoke on Cox’s injury at the end of the day’s play on Sunday.
"Jordan has a problem with his side, which our medical staff are in the process of assessing," he said.
"Unfortunately, because it is a Sunday, it has not been possible to get the injury scanned. Hopefully, that will happen as soon as possible tomorrow and we will know a lot more then,” he added.
“He played a tremendous innings and it was a shame he was not able to go on."
Jordan Cox suffered the injury while he was on the brink of his century in Essex's County Championship game against Somerset // Getty Images
Cox was named in the 13-player squad to take on Zimbabwe on Friday and was in contention to make his debut in the all-whites. He was named in England’s squad to tour New Zealand late last year, but a broken finger ruled him out of the series.
A contributing factor to his selection has been the underwhelming form of England’s current opener, Zak Crawley, who has a solitary fifty in his last 14 Test innings, and his last three-digit score came almost two years ago in the 2023 Ashes when he scored 189 in the drawn fourth Test in Manchester.
The dip in form could open the door for Cox to make a case for himself at the top of the order, though much will depend on whether he's fully fit and ready to take his chance.
ALSO READ: Star all-rounder returns as Zimbabwe confirm squad for historic England Test
With England’s packed summer calendar starting with a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, a white-ball series against West Indies followed by a five-match Test series against India at home. The summer schedule will ultimately lead into the marquee event of the year — the highly anticipated Ashes tour of Australia, set to commence in November.
England take on Zimbabwe in a one-off Test on 22 May at Trent Bridge, which will be the first red-ball game on English soil for the African nation since 2003.