England could make five changes for New Zealand as Jamie Smith adds to chaos
England could be forced to make five changes and hand out three debuts after uncertainty around Jamie Smith’s availability added to their chaotic build-up to the second test against New Zealand.
England are playing down fears their wicketkeeper could miss the test, which starts on Wednesday at the Oval, his home ground.
However, his partner is due to give birth to their second child, providing some doubt over his availability.
Smith missed a tour of New Zealand for the birth of their first child in late 2024.
England’s second-test selection carnage began in the hours after their win at Lord’s, when captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson broke the team’s new curfew.
The pair are under investigation and have been ruled out of this match as a result, with Joe Root to return to the captaincy after four years back in the ranks.
The trouble deepened on Saturday when Ollie Robinson was sent for a scan after experiencing discomfort in his knee after training a day earlier.
He will miss the test but should return for the third at Trent Bridge on June 25.
In response, England called up Robinson’s Sussex teammate Henry Crocombe, the fourth uncapped player in the squad, alongside James Rew, Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker.
In addition, Emilio Gay and Matthew Fisher have played just one test apiece, Rehan Ahmed five and Jacob Bethell seven.
With some uncertainty around Smith, too, England could now be looking at a remarkable five changes to the XI.
It is fairly common to see four changes, but five in the middle of a series at home is highly unusual.
Given the test is at the Oval, England are strongly considering going into the match without a frontline spinner, which would mean debuts for Cox and Rew if Smith is unavailable.
Both would be options to keep wicket, although Rew would be the likelier candidate as Cox is a stronger outfielder.
Jofra Archer, who missed the first test due to resting up after the IPL, should come in for Atkinson and Surrey’s Fisher would be favourite to replace Robinson.
In addition, Hampshire quick Baker is likely to come in for Shoaib Bashir with the balance of the attack tweaked.
If Smith is available, England would face a straight – but not straightforward – choice between Cox and Rew to replace Stokes.
Cox was pulled out of Essex’s game at Grace Road after two days to join up with the England squad in London.
Earlier in that match, he made 204 from 201 balls in his first first-class match for almost 10 months, a statement score to further confuse the pecking order.
Rew, meanwhile, was left to bat for Somerset on a slow pitch at Trent Bridge.
He made just 10 in the first innings but had the misfortune of being run out backing up, when Dillon Pennington got a fingertip on Jordan Hermann’s very straight drive, diverting it on to the stumps.
On Sunday, he made 50 and his 18-year-old brother Thomas a maiden first-class century as Somerset set the champions Nottinghamshire 473 to win. Rew Snr is set to leave the Championship match on Sunday evening so he can train at the Oval on Monday. Other squad members Ahmed, batting No 3 for Leicestershire against Essex, and Bashir were in the same boat.
Cox was inked in to make a test debut when Smith missed the New Zealand tour in 2024, but suffered an ill-timed hand injury. He also got injured last summer, leading to Rew’s first call-up.
Cox remained ahead in the pecking order until this spring, when he warmed the bench at the IPL while Rew made a fine start to the county season. Rew was an unused squad member for the first test, with Cox called up to replace Stokes.
England are able to consider an all-seam attack because of the specific conditions at the Oval. The ground was once considered friendly to spinners, but now Surrey balance their side by having a top-six batsman such as Dan Lawrence bowl spin alongside a battery of four or five seamers.
With surfaces normally green, offering opportunities for seamers on day one before flattening out, the past 28 first-class matches on the ground, dating back more than three years, have featured the team who won the toss choosing to bowl first.
Bashir, who did not bowl an over at Lord’s, could survive in the XI if England feel they need a spinner to do plenty of grunt work on a flat pitch. But presented with a similar scenario against India a year ago, when Stokes was injured, they opted to use Root and Bethell as their spinners.
Matthew Potts, another bowler on England’s radar, took second-innings figures of eight for 66 as Durham beat Derbyshire by an innings to extend their lead at the top of Division Two.
- Daily Telegraph UK