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Jordan Cox is poised to make his Test debut as England's wicketkeeper during their upcoming tour of New Zealand. This opportunity arises as Jamie Smith is set to miss part of the series due to paternity leave. Cox, who will turn 24 on Monday as per ESPNcricinfo, has been England's reserve batter for the last five Tests and now has the chance to make his mark in December.
Smith and his partner are expecting their first child in mid-December, coinciding with either the second or third Test against New Zealand. "Being at the birth of my son is not something I want to miss," he told the Daily Mail recently, as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo. "It will be a memory that I cherish more than any in cricket anyway, so if I lost my place because of it, so be it," he added. Cox made his international debut in England's T20I series against Australia last month and will soon join the squads for their upcoming white-ball tour to the Caribbean. Although he was unable to keep wicket for Essex this summer due to a severe finger injury sustained in the Hundred last year, he has been refining his wicketkeeping skills with Brendon McCullum in Pakistan. "It's life, right?" McCullum, who is the head coach of the England Cricket team said of Smith's absence. "People have kids and we wish them all the best, to be there and support their partners. At this stage, it looks like Jamie will probably play the first [Test in New Zealand] and may miss the next two. We're not totally sure - it's up to Mother Nature a little - but we know we've got Jordan Cox in the squad here," McCullum said, as per quoted by ESPNcricinfo. England is confident in Cox's abilities, despite his limited recent experience behind the stumps, a belief reinforced by Smith's own selection earlier this summer while being second-choice at Surrey. McCullum, drawing from his own experience, considers New Zealand to be a comfortable place for wicketkeeping and is eager to evaluate Cox's performance at the Test level. McCullum describes Cox's glovework as "solid." Cox, known for his self-assured nature, admitted that he would get "bored" after reaching 40 runs while playing for a struggling Kent side last year. Seeking a change to reignite his passion for four-day cricket, he moved to Essex, where he scored four centuries and averaged 65.57 in his first County Championship season. He took over the No. 4 spot at Essex, vacated by Dan Lawrence's move to Surrey. Lawrence's own recent experiences underscore the challenges of being England's spare batter. After performing well in the Caribbean in March 2022, Lawrence waited over two years for another opportunity in the middle order, only to be placed as an opener with predictable results. Consequently, Cox has now moved ahead of Lawrence in the selection order. Unless England loses a batter to injury or illness before Thursday's third Test in Rawalpindi, Cox will be added to the white-ball squads and travel to the Caribbean, likely alongside Rehan Ahmed. Marcus Trescothick, serving as interim white-ball coach for the three ODIs and five T20Is against the West Indies, has already departed Pakistan in preparation for that tour. Cox is expected to make his ODI debut during the Caribbean series, providing him with an opportunity to stake a late claim for a spot in England's squad for next year's Champions Trophy. However, it is the prospect of a Test debut later this year that could truly satisfy his ambitions and validate the extensive travel he will undertake in the first half of the English winter. "He's annoyingly good at everything he does - particularly on the golf course," McCullum said. "He's one of those guys that you look at and say he's got a high ceiling in terms of talent, particularly with bat in hand. There's a fair chance that he'll get the opportunity in New Zealand, if Jamie does return home, to bat down the order and take the gloves," he noted. (ANI)
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