Jordan Cox landed in New Zealand seemingly assured of a Test debut only for his tour to be cruelly ended by a fractured thumb. The injury now means England are scrambling to fly out a replacement wicketkeeper, with Ollie Pope likely to deputise initially when the series begins in Christchurch on Thursday.
The incident occurred before the second and final day of England’s warm-up match in Queenstown when Cox was receiving throwdowns from assistant coach Jeetan Patel in the nets. Scans at the local hospital confirmed the severity of the break, with the 24-year-old left understandably crestfallen.
