Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope have been retained in England’s 13-member squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month, while an uncapped Essex duo has also earned a call-up.
England have persisted with Zak Crawley as their opener despite his disastrous New Zealand tour, where he averaged just 8.66 across six innings, with a top score of 21. His struggles have continued in the County Championship, with his latest outing at Lord’s seeing him dismissed for 6 on the first morning of Kent’s fixture. Durham’s Ben McKinney was a potential alternative but has been overlooked.
Another incumbent under scrutiny is Ollie Pope, England’s vice-captain, who has also retained his place. Despite a modest career average of 34.02, Pope remains in the squad. Shoaib Bashir has been retained as England’s frontline spinner despite underwhelming performances on loan at Glamorgan, where he has managed just two wickets in his first three matches this season.
Cook, Cox earn call-ups
Two uncapped Essex cricketers have also been picked. One of them is Sam Cook, who took seven wickets in the opening two rounds of the Championship, bringing his first-class tally to 318 dismissals at an average of 19.77. Earlier this year, he impressed with the Kookaburra ball on the Lions tour of Australia. With Chris Woakes and Mark Wood absent due to injuries, Cook’s path to a Test debut now looks clearer.
Welcome, Sam Cook! 👋
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 2, 2025
County: Essex
First Class Wickets: 318
Average: 19.77
Serious numbers 👏 pic.twitter.com/5IYWovmeBC
The other call-up is Cook’s Essex teammate and wicketkeeper Jordan Cox, who rejoins the squad after a finger injury denied him a Test debut during the New Zealand tour. Cox was originally set to keep wicket when Jamie Smith was on paternity leave, but a broken right thumb ruled him out. This marks his third Test squad call-up.
Josh Tongue has earned a recall for the first time in two years, having struggled with pectoral and hamstring injuries since his last two Tests in 2023. Tongue made a strong start to the 2023 season, taking 15 wickets for Nottinghamshire at an average of 24.26.
The Zimbabwe Test will also mark Ben Stokes’ first competitive match of the year after he suffered a hamstring injury for the second time in six months during the final Test of the New Zealand series. He underwent surgery and rehabilitation to regain fitness in time for the match.
The four-day Test between England and Zimbabwe will be played at Trent Bridge from May 22-25. This marks Zimbabwe's first Test in England since 2003 and kicks off a busy summer for the hosts. England will follow this with a five-Test series against India before heading to Australia for the 2025-26 Ashes.
England squad for Zimbabwe Test
Ben Stokes (c), Ollie Pope, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
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