Ollie Robinson replaces injured Cox in England squad for NZ Tests

London(The Uttam Hindu): Uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Ollie Robinson has been added to England squad for their ongoing New Zealand tour to replace the injured Jordan Cox, England and Wales Cricket Board said on Thursday.

Cox fractured his thumb during a warm-up fixture in Queenstown and was subsequently ruled out of the three-match ICC World Test Championship series, with batter Ollie Pope taking the gloves for the first Test in Christchurch with regular keeper Jamie Smith away on paternity leave.

Robinson is expected to join the squad in New Zealand later this week and and will come into contention for a Test debut as early as the second Test in Wellington that commences on December 6.

This marks the 25-year-old Robinson’s first call-up to the senior England squad. has impressed in recent times in England's domestic County Championship with a batting average of 48 in 2024 and an even more impressive 58 during the previous season in 2023. He has also demonstrated his skill behind the stumps, with 92 Championship dismissals across the past two seasons.

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woake.