Bowler Cook to make England debut against Zimbabwe

Essex bowler Sam Cook will make his England debut in this week's Test against Zimbabwe, coach Brendon McCullum has confirmed.

The 27-year-old, who has been prolific in recent seasons in county cricket, will form an inexperienced bowling attack with Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Durham bowler Matthew Potts and Somerset batter James Rew are the two players from the 13-strong squad to have been left out.

Zak Crawley has been retained as opener as expected while Ollie Pope returns to number three from the middle order with Jamie Smith back as wicketkeeper after paternity leave.

The match, a four-day Test and Zimbabwe's first in England since 2003, begins at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

England have often favoured pace or variation in height or angle in recent selections but Cook is a more traditional, skilful seam bowler - his debut a reward for his superb County Championship record.

Cook's 227 County Championship wickets were the most by any seamer in the past five years while his overall haul of 321 first-class wickets have come at an average of only 19.85.

But the pace trio of Cook, Tongue and Atkinson contains only 13 Test caps, making it England's most inexperienced pace attack for 22 years. England's most experienced bowlers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes are injured.

This will be only the second home Test England have begun without any of Woakes, James Anderson or Stuart Broad - the latter two have now retired - in the past 18 years.