England wicketkeeper Cox out of New Zealand series with injury

England's promising cricketer Jordan Cox, who was set to make his Test debut, has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against New Zealand due to an injury. Cox sustained an injury to his right thumb during a net session, preventing him from participating in the series.

The incident occurred on Sunday morning while the team was preparing in Queenstown ahead of the Test match, which is scheduled to start at The Oval on Thursday. Cox was promptly taken to a local hospital for scans, and the results revealed that the injury was severe enough to rule him out of the series.

England’s red-ball head coach, Brendon McCullum, expressed his disappointment: "I’m really disappointed for Jordan Cox. Since we arrived in New Zealand, he had been preparing really well, both with the bat and the gloves."

McCullum added, "Unfortunately, these things happen in sports. We are behind him and will take care of him. His time will come."

Cox’s potential Test debut had been highly anticipated, especially after his recent appearances in One-Day and T20 formats over the past two months. With regular wicketkeeper-batter, Jamie Smith, having taken paternity leave, Cox had been expected to step into the role for his Test debut. Now, due to this injury, he will have to wait a bit longer for his chance.

In Cox's absence, the team might call up Ollie Robinson to take over wicketkeeping duties for the New Zealand series. England's regular white-ball wicketkeeper, Phil Salt, is also unavailable, leaving other potential options including James Rew and Mattie Hurst.