England call up uncapped duo for Zimbabwe Test as Zak Crawley and Shoaib Bashir retained

Essex seamer Sam Cook earns his first call-up and could make his debut at Trent Bridge

The highly skilful Sam Cook has been called up to the England squad (Getty Images)

Uncapped seamer Sam Cook is in line for a Test debut after earning inclusion in England cricket’s 13-man squad for the encounter against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.

Cook is one of two uncapped inclusions in Brendon McCullum’s group for the opening engagement of the international summer, with Jordan Cox retained as the spare batter.

Cox was denied a debut in New Zealand over the winter after breaking his thumb batting in the nets, but has started the County Championship season well for Essex.

Zak Crawley retains his spot despite a difficult 2025 so far with the bat, while Shoaib Bashir also continues as the sole spinner. Jamie Smith returns from paternity leave to re-take the gloves from Surrey teammate Ollie Pope, who is in line to move back up to No 3 with Jacob Bethell away at the Indian Premier League (IPL).

With Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood all injured, Cook is part of a youthful seam attack that also includes Josh Tongue – fit and firing after missing nearly all of 2024 with injury – Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson.

Captain Ben Stokes is set to return from a hamstring injury before the Test begins in Nottingham on 22 May. England have not played Zimbabwe in the format since 2003.

The one-off encounter serves as the hors d’ouevre to a huge year for Stokes and his team, with five Tests against India serving as the centrepiece of the summer before a trip Down Under for the Ashes later in the year.

England face a huge year in Test cricket (AFP via Getty Images)

The return of Bethell will pose questions about the composition of England’s top order after an assured first series for the Warwickshire left-hander in New Zealand, with Crawley and Pope perhaps under particular scrutiny despite their standing in the group.

Neither has yet consistently thrived at Test level, though Pope impressed when filling in as captain for Stokes last year. Joe Root, Harry Brook, Smith and the skipper are entrenched in the middle order.

While Bashir is included in this squad and is considered a bowler with a high ceiling, the raw Somerset off-spinner has endured a difficult time on loan at Glamorgan early in the summer and remains something of a project.

Shoaib Bashir has retained his place as England’s sole spinner (AP)

With Stokes’s workload sure to be managed given what is to come, and a four-day Test perhaps reducing the requirement for a specialist spinner, England could yet field four seamers at Trent Bridge.

Zimbabwe enjoyed an impressive win in the first Test against Bangladesh in April, before falling to an innings in Chattogram as the hosts squared the series. They are not part of the World Test Championship, with this upcoming fixture falling outside of that competition.

England squad to face Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge (22-25 May): Ben Stokes (capt.), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Sam Cook, Shoaib Bashir.