Sam Cook in line for England debut after being named in squad for Zimbabwe Test

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Sam Cook in line for England debut after being named in squad for Zimbabwe Test

In a squad containing no surprises, captain Ben Stokes is fit to lead after undergoing hamstring surgery at Christmas.

The match at Trent Bridge will be the all-rounder’s first action since suffering the injury to his left leg in the final Test against New Zealand in December. There are likely to be limitations on how much the 33-year-old will bowl.

Uncapped Essex batter Jordan Cox, who missed out on a Test debut in New Zealand because of a broken thumb, also returns to the squad as cover for the top order.

Batter Jacob Bethell impressed in his first series in New Zealand but is at the IPL, so opener Zak Crawley and number-three Ollie Pope get the chance to cement their places. Shoaib Bashir is retained as the sole spinner.

England have made no secret of their desire for bowlers of high pace so Cook, an ‘English style’ seamer whose strengths lie in accuracy and movement, has had to wait for his chance.

The former Loughborough University student has taken 318 first-class wickets at an average below 20 and has played three times for England Lions, including on the tour of Australia earlier this year.

Realistically, Cook is competing for one spot in the first-choice XI with Woakes. The Warwickshire man is yet to play this season because of an ankle injury.

Another option would have been Dan Worrall, who played three one-day internationals and has now qualified to play for England, but the Surrey man has been overlooked.

Zimbabwe’s last Test in the *** was in 2003, a series famous for the Test debut of Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker.

England will be overwhelming favourites to win at Trent Bridge, though the Zimbabweans have just claimed a creditable 1-1 draw in Bangladesh. The five-Test series against India begins on 20 June at Headingley.

Highlights of all England’s home international cricket and live coverage of The Hundred will be across BBC TV, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, beginning with England women’s T20 international against West Indies on 21 May.

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