England has announced a 16-member squad for their upcoming three-Test series against New Zealand, featuring the young, talented Jacob Bethell, who earned his maiden Test call-up. Bethell, 21, recently debuted in the T20I series against Australia and subsequently played in all five ODIs. In 20 first-class games, he has accumulated 738 runs, averaging 25.44, with five fifties and a high score of 93.
The absence of Jamie Smith, on paternity leave, opens the door for Jordon Cox to potentially make his Test debut as wicketkeeper. England is keen to bounce back after a 2-1 series loss to Pakistan, despite winning the opening Test in Multan before losing the next two due to challenging spells from Sajid Khan and Noman Ali.
The Test series will begin on November 28 at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, with subsequent matches in Wellington and Hamilton. England will also play a two-day practice match against New Zealand Cricket XI on November 23 at Queenstown. England currently sits sixth in the WTC standings with a 40.79 points percentage.
England Test Squad for New Zealand Series
- Captain: Ben Stokes
- Players: Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
