James Rew replaces Jordan Cox in England squad

London

Young cricketer James Rew has earned his first call-up to the England Test team. He replaces Jordan Cox, who is out with an abdominal injury. England will face Zimbabwe in a one-off Test starting May 22 at Trent Bridge.

Rew, 21, plays for Somerset and has been in great form this County Championship season, averaging 54.71. He will join the England squad next week for training. Cox, originally picked for this Test after recovering from a previous thumb injury, hurt his side while batting for Essex. He retired hurt soon after scoring a century. Scans later confirmed he would miss the Zimbabwe match.

Rew impressed in the same game with a fourth-innings century that helped Somerset chase 321. This made him the youngest English player since Denis Compton to reach 10 first-class hundreds. A talented wicketkeeper and batter, Rew has been on England’s radar since scoring 95 in the U19 World Cup final in 2022. He got his first Somerset century the same year and had a breakout season in 2023, scoring 1,086 runs at 57.15, including five centuries.

He’s also done well in white-ball cricket, with two List A hundreds and an unbeaten 62 in the T20 Blast semi-final last season. Rew has represented the England Lions as well. The England squad will gather in London for a camp at Loughborough this weekend before the Test match preparations begin in full.