Jordan Cox ruled out of Test series against New Zealand

England are in serious trouble over their wicketkeeper spot for the upcoming away Test series in New Zealand.

After Jamie Smith took a paternity leave and made himself unavailable for the tour, England relied on Jordan Cox to take up the gloves. However, Cox was hit on his right hand in the Queenstown nets during the last day of the tour game against the Prime Minister’s XI. He was taken for scans right after to a local hospital to judge the extent of his damage and it's now been confirmed that the 24-year-old has a fractured thumb, ruling him out of the three-Test series against the Kiwis. 

"The Essex player, poised to make his Test debut in Christchurch next week as a stand-in for Jamie Smith (on paternity leave), suffered the injury ahead of play on day two of the two-day tour match against the New Zealand Prime Minister’s XI at Sir John Davies Oval," the ECB said in a statement.

"In Cox’s absence, Surrey’s Ollie Pope stepped in as wicketkeeper for the final day of the warm-up game."

Head coach Brendon McCullum said that he was gutted for Cox, but insisted that the youngster's time will come in the future.

“I’m gutted for Jordan (Cox). He has been shaping up nicely, both with the bat and gloves since we got to New Zealand. That’s sport, and unfortunately, these things happen. We will get around him and look after him. He's resilient and his time will come at some point in the future," McCullum said.

This is the second time Cox has injured his right hand in the last two years, as he had broken his finger during the 2023 edition of The Hundred.

While Ollie Pope keeping in the first Test is likely, the initial reports suggest that England will name Durham's Ollie Robinson as the 24-year-old's replacement. 

The first Test will be played from November 28 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

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