Ben Stokes, skipper for England cricket, returns to the side after surgery on his hamstring. He last played for the national team during the tour of New Zealand in 2025. He should make an appearance in the squad; however, he won’t bowl for the match. This match will be starting on May 22 at Trent Bridge, marking Zimbabwe’s first Test in England in 22 years. It also opens the English summer as they are set to visit for a huge 5-match Test series. Later, England will head to Australia for the Ashes.
Here is the squad: Ben Stokes (Captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
The bowling line-up of England is a little thin right now as it has had some effects of injuries to key bowlers like Mark Wood (knee) and Chris Woakes (ankle). Brydon Carse is out for the season nursing a foot injury while Olly Stone is recovering from surgery on his knee. Then Jofra Archer is busy with the Indian Premier League but still needs some time before he can be prepared for Test cricket.
Controversy has been going all over England due to the poor Test performance. They went to India in 2024 and ended up losing 4-1 in the series after winning the first Test. The performances during the rest of the matches could not keep such standards, even after battling hard on the first couple of days of every match. The tough series against Australia later this year, during which England suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat in their last tour, will only add to their woes.