The incident occurred within the nets on Sunday morning in Queenstown, the place England have been getting ready for the primary Check, which begins on Thursday on the Hagley Oval. Cox, primed to make his Check debut with common keeper Jamie Smith on paternity depart for the tour, was taken to an area hospital for scans to find out the extent of the harm.
Cox has as soon as earlier than broken digits on his proper hand too when he sustained a horrific damaged finger through the Hundred in 2023. The severity of the harm means he may not assume the gloves for Essex this summer season, his first for the membership following a transfer from Kent. Cox’s stint behind the stumps on Saturday was the primary time he had donned the gloves for the red-ball aspect since July 2023.
Ollie Pope deputised in Cox’s absence, whereas captain Ben Stokes took to the sphere having chosen to sit down out the primary day’s play. But it surely was James Anderson decked out in whites, 4 months after his enforced retirement, that drew probably the most consideration, drafted in as an alternative fielder after three gamers opted out of the match for further time within the nets.
England will not be at present working with a full deck in New Zealand with Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed as a consequence of arrive in Christchurch on Monday having featured on the white-ball tour of the Caribbean which completed final week.
If Cox is dominated out of the tour altogether, England are unlikely to burden Pope with extra accountability on prime of his duties at No. 3, that means reinforcements are seemingly. Phil Salt and Durham’s Ollie Robinson may very well be in line for maiden Check call-ups, becoming the invoice as partaking middle-order batters. Jonny Bairstow is also an out of doors shot given he has a yr remaining on his central contract. However having not featured for the Check squad since incomes his a centesimal cap on the finish of the India tour in the beginning of the yr, it’s unlikely he might be recalled at this juncture.
