The England Lions will tour Australia for two unofficial Tests before The Ashes 2025.
The Ashes 2025 are set to begin in November, and the preparations have kicked off. The England Lions will prepare against Australia XI for two unofficial Tests in Perth, as part of their preparation. Jordon Cox was not selected in England’s Ashes squad, but he was a part of the England Lions camp. However, the wicketkeeper-batter has decided that he will not be available for the two matches. Instead, he will be partaking in the ILT20 League.
The 24-year-old would be flying to Dubai to play in the fourth edition of the International League T20 (ILT20). Jordon Cox is set to represent the Dubai Capitals. He will be a part of the Lions’ primary fixture, but will leave for Dubai before the DC campaign begins on December 2. The defending champions will face Desert Vipers for the tournament opener.
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One of the primary reasons for Jordon Cox to miss out on the 16-member Ashes squad would be the England Cricket Board (ECB) thinking of Ollie Pope as a back-up wicketkeeper to Jamie Smith. Cox was ruled out of the Tests against New Zealand last year due to a thumb injury, which was ill-timed just before his probable debut.
Additionally, Cox mentioned that he is pretty clear on his purpose of being on the England Lions tour. He stated that it would primarily be to get the boys ready for the upcoming Test series, which would be the most important thing for them. Furthermore, he added that if he isn’t picked for England to play Tests in the future, he would like to play franchise leagues.
“It will be nice to show Stokes, Baz and Keysy [Rob Key]. They haven’t watched me live much in red-ball [cricket]. They have come to Hundred or T20 games, but I don’t imagine they are coming to much four-day cricket. Maybe they will see something different that they like – or not – and I’d like to show them [what I can do] in the flesh. That would be really good” said Cox on playing Tests.
The English wicketkeeper-batter, who recently earned the PCA Men’s Player of the Year award, expressed that his ultimate aim would always be to play Test cricket for his country. To add to that, Cox had an amazing period of play for Essex and the Oval Invincibles, and also scored his maiden international fifty against Ireland last month.
All said and done, the Dubai Capitals have signed Coz for a hefty sum. The English youngster holds a contract which is worth USD 250,000. Though the exact dates are yet to be known, he will leave the shores before the England Lions take on Australia A.
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