England name 13-man squad for one-off Zimbabwe Test, Ben Stokes regains fitness
The uncapped duo of Jordan Cox and Sam Cook are also a part of the squad that is otherwise fairly experienced.
England have named their squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe, starting Thursday, May 22. The game will be played at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Captain Ben Stokes, who had undergone rehabilitation and missed the Champions Trophy 2025 as well, has returned to full fitness and will be leading the Three Lions once again. The game will not be a part of the World Test Championship cycle, but holds prominence for England, as they look to face India for five games later in the year, followed by the all-important Ashes a little later.
The uncapped duo of Jordan Cox and Sam Cook are also a part of the squad that is otherwise fairly experienced. Under Stokes, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett are expected to open, with Ollie Pope and Joe Root comprising the top-order. Harry Brook, who has been made the white-ball captain, has also made his way into the list. Jamie Smith will be helming at the wicketkeeping duties, with Jordan Cox acting as his backup.
Meanwhile, Shoaib Bashir has been added as the lone spin option. The fast-bowling unit has been carefully chosen with Gus Atkinson leading the pack alongside Josh Tongue, Potts and Cox being the three other pacemen in there. Surprisingly, seasoned all-rounder Chris Woakes has not been included, whereas, Mark Wood is out of action for at least four months, with hopes still alive for his Ashes participation.
Speaking of Zimbabwe, the visitors will be coming into the series on the back of a satisfactory performance against Bangladesh, where they drew the series 1-1. Zimbabwe won the first Test at Sylhet, but the Chattogram encounter saw Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz rip apart the Craige Ervine-led side and saved themselves from a home embarrassment, thereby ending the series on level terms.
England squad for one-off Test vs Zimbabwe, 2025
Ben Stokes (captain), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jordan Cox, Sam Cook, Matthew Potts
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