Jordan Cox is being primed for a Test debut in New Zealand before Christmas, with Jamie Smith set to miss part of the tour for the birth of his first child.
As an aggressive wicketkeeper-batter, Cox is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Smith, who is expected to begin the three-match tour before returning to England.
Head coach Brendon McCullum, an accomplished gloveman in his playing days, has been working with the 23-year-old Cox on the current tour of Pakistan and has put him on notice that he is next in line.
That move has wider implications, effectively ending any remaining hopes 100-cap veteran Jonny Bairstow had of earning a recall.
Bairstow still has 12 months left on the two-year central contract he signed with the England and Wales Cricket Board but has lost his place in all three formats in recent months.
“I think at this stage it looks like Jamie will probably play the first one and may miss the next two. We’re not sure, it’s sort of up to Mother Nature a little bit,” said McCullum.
“New Zealand is a comfortable place to wicket-keep and it would be great to have a look at Jordan Cox as well. His keeping is solid.
“I’ve done a bit of work with him over the last little while. He’s natural at everything he does. He’s actually annoyingly good at everything he does, particularly on the golf course.
“He’s one of those guys that you look at and say he’s got a high ceiling in terms of talent, particularly with bat in hand, and there’s a fair chance that he’ll get the opportunity in New Zealand, if Jamie does return home, to bat down the order and take the gloves.”
McCullum backs ‘outstanding’ Smith after drop
“You will not get a tougher set of conditions to keep wicket on,” said McCullum. “Jamie’s very disappointed about dropping that catch. But you take that out, I thought his keeping was as good as I’ve seen in these conditions, particularly from a foreign wicketkeeper.
“He’s just continuing to impress, and obviously in both innings, he’s trying to put pressure on the opposition on that surface, which is very difficult, and that’s his natural game. He’s turning into a really big player for us and I’ve been super impressed.
“That’s where you got to have the ability to turn the page pretty quickly as well, because if you ever let your mistakes dictate your attitude and your confidence, then you’re in for a hell of a time.
“You’ve got to focus on the things you’ve done well and know that mistakes in this game are going to be part of it, but 99% of what Jamie has done in this Test match has been absolutely outstanding. And that’ll be the message to him.”
First Test: Multan – October 7-11 – England won by an innings and 47 runs
Second Test: Multan – October 15-19 – Pakistan won by 152 runs
Third Test: Rawalpindi – October 24-28
Watch the third and final Test between Pakistan and England live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 5.30am ahead of the first ball at 6am on Thursday, October 24 as the sides head to Rawalpindi.
