The new England Test wicketkeeper Jordan Cox will not take the gloves against West Indies after being told to “concentrate on his batting” for the white-ball series.
The move, although not confirmed by England management, means Phil Salt will keep wicket as he practised his keeping at training while Cox performed media duties.
“I’ll be concentrating on my batting here,” said Cox, who has been named as Jamie Smith’s replacement for the Test series. “Then New Zealand will be my opportunity to keep wicket.”
Cox has not kept wicket for 15 months after sustaining a serious finger injury in 2023, but he is confident he will be able to return to keeping without any problems. “Keeping for me is something that I absolutely love. I’ve kept since the age of 11.
“It’s about building up. I’ve probably been keeping again for three or four months, so not long but, as people say, it’s like riding a bike.”
Cox has two England appearances in T20s, but is yet to make his debut in either of the two longer formats. First called up to the Test squad against Sri Lanka in August, he has spent much of the past three months carrying drinks.
“It’s nice to be around the environment and see what the best players do. I spent some time out in Pakistan with the T20 side two years ago, and I learned more in that month than I had done in my five years at Kent. Just being around international players you learn so much quicker.”
Cox’s chance in the Test side comes because Smith will miss the New Zealand tour for the birth of his first child, with the only other spot in the batting order possibly being available that of the under-pressure Ollie Pope at No 3.
“It’s professional sport, you never know what will happen,” Cox said. “Let’s say Popey goes and scores three hundreds, let’s say I score a hundred and win the Test match, what happens there? The media are always going to say different things but everyone’s trying to make a living and have fun.”
Cox is in the middle of a busy winter where he will be one of only two players, along with Rehan Ahmed, to be on all three tours to Pakistan, the West Indies and New Zealand. A confident personality, he fits the mould of the current high-octane environment England have encouraged.
“It can come across as rude or arrogant or that I don’t really care,” he said of his mentality. “I do care. When I say I don’t, I do. Cricket is such an up-and-down sport, you see so many people affected by it.
“I’m just trying to stay as level headed as I can. My mentality is that I don’t care what’s going on. In reality I do care. I really care. I really do. I care about doing well. I care about winning.
“When I was younger, I didn’t care. I was having fun with friends. I did well then, so why would I change? I’m having fun with new friends, so why should I put added pressure on myself?”
