Jordan Cox does not have the best luck. In line for a Test debut in New Zealand, a fractured thumb not only ruled him out of the series, but also cleared the path for Jacob Bethell to push him down England's batting pecking order. Now, two days after being named in the squad to face Zimbabwe, a suspected side strain sustained in the course of making 103* against Somerset could set him back again.
Cox now faces a nervous wait to find out if he'll be able to join up with England at Trent Bridge. While he was unlikely to make the starting XI against Zimbabwe, there's also the question of who might replace him if he is ruled out. Here are five potential candidates.
Tom Banton
The record-breaking triple century he scored in the opening round of the season bumped Tom Banton further up the queue of batters hoping to break into England's Test side. The 26-year-old was recalled to the white-ball set-up over the winter, but has also enjoyed stellar first-class form over the last 12 months. Having struggled to break into Somerset's Championship side at times since his rapid rise as a teenager, Banton averaged almost 50 last season, and started the season off with a memorable knock at Taunton.
However, since that innings Banton's scores have fallen off a cliff. He was dismissed for a duck in his following innings, making only six runs in the match, and has only broken into the 20s in one of his seven innings in the wake of his triple hundred. In his favour in the selection stakes is his quintessential 'Bazballness', as well as potentially being the most like-for-like Cox replacement on offer.
James Rew
Rivalling Banton is Somerset teammate James Rew, who became the youngest English batter since Denis Compton to score 10 first-class hundreds with a brilliant effort against Essex last weekend. It was Rew's second century of the season, having partnered Banton's behemoth in the opening round, and probably the best of his 10 tons to date.
Still aged just 21, Rew has been a prodigy at Taunton since he was a teenager, and scored 1,086 runs before his 20th birthday in the 2023 Championship. A dip in returns last year – where he still maintained a respectable average of 36.30 and scored two centuries – quietened his rise slightly before the start of this season. Rew is not the typical current-era England player, in that he has only ever played three T20 matches in his career and has a moderate first-class strike-rate. But, no other player his age is churning out runs at close to the rate he is, and that might still count for something.
Ben McKinney
While Ben McKinney wasn't looked to as a replacement for an out-of-form Zak Crawley, Cox's injury could offer an alternative route to a first Test call-up. The 20-year-old scored an important 153 against Warwickshire last month, and impressed for England Lions over the winter. McKinney is an opener, while Cox bats in the middle order, but he could still serve as back-up and McCullum and Stokes will be keen to get an up-close look at a batter who is still inexperienced. However, McKinney suffered a bac -spasm ahead of Durham's draw over Hampshire, and the extent of that injury is currently unclear.
Dan Lawrence
Another option at England's disposal is their spare bat from last summer, Dan Lawrence. Having struggled after being thrust into open against Sri Lanka, Lawrence was discarded for the winter Tests. However, strong showings in his last two innings – a century against Sussex and a crucial unbeaten 55* against Somerset – have shown him in good form.
Jonny Bairstow
Despite it now being over a year since Jonny Bairstow's last Test match, the question of whether he could be recalled hasn't been definitively silenced. In his new role as full-time Yorkshire captain, Bairstow scored a half-century in the opening game of the season, and scored an unbeaten 86 last month against Durham. The latest Championship round saw Yorkshire field a Root-Brook-Bairstow powerhouse middle order and, of the three, Bairstow came out on top in the first innings, top-scoring with 47. You would fancy, however, of all the options available to them, recalling Bairstow would be fairly low on England's priority list.
No one
The most likely answer to who will replace Cox is probably no one. Cox was in the 13-player squad as the spare bat, with Pope set to return to No.3 as Jacob Bethell's IPL stint keeps him away. There also seems little possibility of Cox or someone else breaking into a largely settled middle order unless injury requires a change.
Outside chancers
There are several players in the runs in the County Championship but with little chance of being called up to cover off. Tom Haines is currently the leading run-scorer in Division One, but an extended run of scores is likely needed to further his case. There's also his Sussex captain John Simpson, whose returns since joining the south coast side last year have been extraordinary. But, approaching his 37th birthday and without a Test cap to his name would probably be a promotion too far. There are also those who have previously won Test selection, the likes of Haseeb Hameed – who is currently averaging 110 after seven innings this season – and Dom Sibley. They sit a fair way below those mentioned above in the selection stakes, however.
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