NEW DELHI: Somerset batter James Rew received an England call-up on Thursday for the forthcoming one-off Test versus Zimbabwe in Nottingham starting May 22.The 21-year-old batting talent steps in for Jordan Cox, who picked up an abdominal strain whilst compiling a hundred in Essex’s County Championship loss to Somerset on Sunday.Cox, 24, was initially selected as a reserve batsman for the four-day Test, but this injury adds to his string of unfortunate setbacks.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!He was poised for his Test debut last November against New Zealand but fractured his thumb during pre-match practice.This marks Rew’s first senior England selection, being the youngest English player since Denis Compton to achieve 10 first-class centuries.
Rew’s domestic statistics are impressive, accumulating over 2,600 runs at 43.35 across 45 first-class matches.In the ongoing First Division County Championship season, he maintains a batting average of 54.21, with his highest score being 152.The wicketkeeper-batsman’s recent achievements include a decisive 116 against Essex.
Rew spent the northern winter with England Lions in Australia and previously featured in England’s ICC Under-19 World Cup final team in the year 2022.Rew will participate in the pre-series training camp next week before the Zimbabwe Test at Trent Bridge, which launches England’s home international season, followed by a crucial five-match Test series against India.England’s squad for Zimbabwe Test: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, James Rew, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicket-keeper), Josh Tongue
