England bowler Cook to debut against Zimbabwe

Fast bowler Sam Cook will make his debut for England in their one-off test match against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, the countrys cricket board (ECB) said on Tuesday.

Cook, who plays for Essex in the County Championship, has taken 321 first-class wickets and made a name for himself on the England Lions tour of Australia where he picked up 13 wickets in three matches.

The 27-year-old will be part of an inexperienced bowling attack alongside Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and spinner Shoaib Bashir, with Englands pace department depleted after injuries to key bowlers including Mark Wood and Chris Woakes.

Zak Crawley has retained his spot as opener despite his underwhelming performances in recent tests, while Ollie Pope returns to number three.

The match, which begins on Thursday, is Zimbabwes first test in England in 22 years and marks the start of the English summer.

England team: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain),Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Sam Cook, Shoaib Bashir. REUTERS

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