England were sweating on the fitness of Jordan Cox for Thursday’s first Test against New Zealand after the wicketkeeper suffered a blow to his hand before the final day of their solitary warm-up match in Queenstown.
Cox, 24, had been due to make his Test debut behind the stumps at Hagley Oval in Christchurch with Jamie Smith, the regular gloveman, missing the tour for paternity leave. But the prospect of his first Test cap will now hinge on the severity of an injury to his right hand that was sustained while batting in the nets on Sunday.
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As Cox went off to a local hospital in Queenstown for a scan, the knock-on effect in the short term was the sight of Ollie Pope taking the gloves on day two of England’s practice match against the New Zealand Prime Minister’s XI. Ben Stokes, who is fully fit but opted to sit out the first day, took the field to captain the side.
Eye-catchingly, it also prompted Jimmy Anderson to don the whites for the first time since he retired from international cricket back in July. The 42-year-old, now the team’s bowling coach but hoping to be picked up in the Indian Premier League mega auction that starts on Sunday, was called upon as a substitute fielder.
England currently have 14 players in New Zealand, with Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed due to arrive in Christchurch next week after featuring in the recent white-ball tour of the Caribbean. But with three players having an extra net while England fielded on day two, Anderson was called upon to bolster the numbers.
Pope was always down to be the reserve wicketkeeper in New Zealand, having performed the role on a one-off basis here in 2019 and then repeated it for two Tests during the 3-0 win in Pakistan in late 2022.
Should Cox be ruled out it would potentially bring Phil Salt, Ollie Robinson (the Durham one) and Michael Pepper into the equation. Jonny Bairstow, who was dropped after the 4-1 defeat in India earlier this year, would be another option.
• This story will be updated
