Ben Stokes Makes Comeback In Test Squad: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced a 13-player squad on Friday, May 2, for the one-off Test match against Zimbabwe, starting on May 22 at Trent Bridge. This will be Zimbabwe’s first Test match in England since 2003.
ECB Announces Squad for One-Off Test Against Zimbabwe
The match will mark the start of England’s international summer. The big news is the return of Test captain Ben Stokes, who had surgery on his left hamstring and hasn’t played since December 2024.
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Ben Stokes injured his hamstring during the third Test against New Zealand and has been recovering since January 2025. It was his second hamstring injury in five months, the first happening during The Hundred in August 2024.
Though he hasn’t played for Durham this season, Stokes will return for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, ahead of England’s five-Test series against India.
This special one-off Test match will be played over four days. In a media release, the ECB said, “England Men have named a 13-player squad for the Rothesay Test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge. This historic fixture marks Zimbabwe’s first Test on English soil since 2003 and is set to launch England Men’s international summer on Thursday 22 May.”
The ECB has given first-time Test call-ups to two uncapped Essex players, Sam Cook and Jordan Cox, for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe. Cook, 27, is likely to make his debut at Trent Bridge. He has taken 318 wickets in first-class cricket with an average under 20 and did well on the England Lions’ tour of Australia, taking 13 wickets in three games.
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Josh Tongue from Nottinghamshire is also back in the Test squad after last playing in the 2023 Ashes. He has been in good form, picking up 15 wickets at an average of 24 in the County Championship after recovering from injuries. However, Mark Wood and Brydon Carse are not in the squad as they are still recovering from their injuries.
England Squad for One-off Test Match against Zimbabwe:
Ben Stokes (C), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
ECB and BBC Extend Broadcast Partnership
The ECB and BBC have extended their partnership for four more years, with the BBC set to continue showing highlights of England Men’s and Women’s matches and live coverage of The Hundred.
The ECB statement reads, “The deal, which runs from 2025 to 2028, will see highlights of England Men’s and Women’s internationals broadcast across BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website-starting with England Women’s white ball clash with West Indies on May 21 before England Men begin a Rothesay Test Match against Zimbabwe the following day-and also includes digital clips.”
“Live coverage of the The Hundred men’s and women’s tournaments will also remain on BBC Sport each year, covering eight double-headers each season, including the opening matches and the finals across TV and iPlayer. This will see more live women’s games screened on the BBC than previously.”
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