Zimbabwe will play its first Test match in England since 2003, and Stokes’ team will have a full home summer ahead of them as England plays India in a five-Test series prior to the 2025–26 Ashes in Australia.
Following his inclusion in the 13-man squad revealed on Friday, Ben Stokes was given the all-clear to captain England in their one-off Test match against Zimbabwe later this month.Following his breakdown in New Zealand in December, the 33-year-old all-rounder has been recuperating from hamstring surgery. This is his second hamstring injury in five months.
Despite not playing for county team Durham this season, Stokes will captain England in the first Test match of their home season, which will take place at Trent Bridge from May 22 to 25 and last four days instead of the usual five.The squad also includes uncapped Essex seamer Sam Cook, who may make his Test debut in Nottingham due to injuries to pacemen Mark Wood and Brydon Carse.The 27-year-old Cook took 13 wickets in three games during the recent England Lions tour of Australia, and he has collected 318 first-class wickets at an excellent average of under 20.
Cook, along with his Essex teammate Jordan Cox, is one of the team’s two uncapped players.
After last playing for England in the 2023 Ashes, Nottinghamshire pacer Josh Tongue will be hoping to return to Test action on his home field.With England playing India in a five-Test series prior to the 2025–26 Ashes in Australia, it will be Zimbabwe’s first Test match in England since 2003 and the beginning of a busy home summer for Stokes’ squad.
