Somerset’s promising young batsman James Rew has been drafted into the England Test squad to replace the injured Jordan Cox for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month.
At just 21 years old, Rew has made an impressive impact this County Championship season, boasting a stellar batting average of 54.21 and a top score of 152. Remarkably, he has become the first batsman since Dennis Compton in the 1930s to notch 10 first-class centuries before turning 22.
Rew’s international experience includes playing for the England Under-19 team that reached the U19 World Cup final in 2022 and touring Australia with the England Lions last winter. He will join the England squad at their training camp next week as they prepare for the Test starting on 22 May at Trent Bridge. Fellow Somerset player Shoaib Bashir also features in the squad.
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Jordan Cox, 24, sustained an injury while scoring a century in Essex’s County Championship match against Somerset, ruling him out of the Test. Cox, a right-handed batsman, was expected to serve as a backup batter, making his absence a setback for England.
Looking ahead, England is set to begin a five-Test series against India on 20 June at Headingley.
The full England squad includes: Ben Stokes (Durham) - captain, Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Cook (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), James Rew (Somerset), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).