Archer Returns as England Make Four Changes For NZ Test

Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker will make their England Test debuts in the second Test against New Zealand on Wednesday at The Oval.

Surrey bowler Matthew Fisher will also appear in his second Test, more than four years since his debut, with Jofra Archer returning to the set-up for the first time this season following a chaotic start to England’s summer.

Alongside those four, there could be even more change in England’s XI with Somerset’s James Rew on standby to replace wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

Smith’s partner is due to give birth to their second child in the coming days, but was named in England’s XI by coach Brendon McCullum on Monday.

Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson will miss the Test pending an investigation after the pair broke the team’s midnight curfew and were caught up in a nightclub incident.

Bowler Ollie Robinson, who took seven wickets on a remarkable return to Test cricket at Lord’s, is out with soreness in his right knee, while Baker comes in for Shoaib Bashir, with England opting against picking a spinner in their XI.

England XI for the second Test:

Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root (capt), Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Jordan Cox, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Matthew Fisher, Sonny Baker

Cox was originally set to make his debut two years ago, but a broken thumb ruled him out of making his bow against the same opposition.

He missed the start of the English season because of the Indian Premier League – Rew was England’s spare batter and wicketkeeper for the first Test – but scored 204 from 201 balls for Essex against Leicestershire over the weekend.

Brendan McCullum said Cox had been preferred at number seven in Stokes’ absence because of his “power and his rounded game”, while Rew is viewed as a top-six batter.

A Test debut for Baker, a bustling bowler who can regularly hit speeds close to 90mph, comes after a challenging start to his international career in white-ball cricket last year.

He struggled to make an impact on his debut in both formats, returning figures of 0-76 in ODIs and 0-52 in T20Is, but has responded strongly in domestic cricket. This season, he has taken 22 wickets in just six County Championship matches, underlining his form and pushing his way back into contention.

“I think the country is going to be behind him because he plays games a little bit like Mark Wood,” McCullum said.

“He’s got good air speed, he swings the ball, he’s got great skills, but he charges in, and he’s got wild celebrations, and you can just see that cricket is what he wants to do.”

McCullum admitted there has been “a bit of chaos” around the squad but said he was confident in the side picked.

“I look at that line-up we have this week, and it’s super exciting,” he said.

“It doesn’t guarantee us success, but it’s a first real test of where we’re at. I’m quietly confident we’re going to see some exciting cricket.”