England have made another change to their squad ahead of second Test against New Zealand which is scheduled to start from June 17 at the Oval. The uncapped Sussex seamer Henry Crocombe has been called into the England Men’s Test squad as cover for Ollie Robinson. The decision was made after Robinson experienced soreness in his knee following a training session on Friday. To assess the extent of the issue, the pace bowler is scheduled to undergo a precautionary scan on Saturday, June 13.
ECB adds Henry Crocombe in England squad as Ollie Robinson's cover
Adding further depth to the roster ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, England has also drafted Jofra Archer and Jordan Cox into the squad. The reinforcements arrive just in time as the team ramps up its preparations for the crucial clash, which is set to get underway this coming Wednesday at The Kia Oval.
“The Sussex fast bowler has been selected as cover for Ollie Robinson, who is expected to undergo a knee scan on Saturday afternoon. Uncapped seamer Henry Crocombe has been called into the England Men’s Test squad as cover for Ollie Robinson. Robinson experienced knee soreness after a training session on Friday and is set to undergo a precautionary scan on Saturday, June 13. Jofra Archer and Jordan Cox have also been brought into the squad ahead of the second Test against New Zealand, starting on Wednesday at The Kia Oval," the ECB said in a statement.
England's updated Test squad for second Test vs New Zealand :
Joe Root, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Henry Crocombe, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
Henry Crocombe enters the international selection frame with a solid domestic foundation, having played 47 first-class matches to date. Throughout his red-ball career, the Sussex seamer has claimed 104 wickets and contributed valuable lower-order runs, accumulating 698 runs across 68 innings. Should Ollie Robinson fail to prove his fitness ahead of the match, the uncapped bowler could be handed a historic Test debut for England at The Oval this coming Wednesday.
In a major shake-up to the leadership and bowling attack, regular Test captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson will not feature in the second Test against New Zealand after being omitted from the squad by the England selectors. According to an official statement issued by ECB, both Stokes and Atkinson were made unavailable for selection due to an ongoing investigation. In the absence of Stokes, former skipper Joe Root will step back into the leadership role to captain the host nation.