The England Lions will tour Australia for two unofficial Tests before the Ashes series.
We are at the foothill of some riveting cricket action. The Ashes is set to kickstart from November, and the preparations have started. So has the banter! The England Lions will tour Australia for two unofficial Tests against Cricket Australia XI in Perth, as a part of their preparation.
Having said that, there is a twist. Jordon Cox, who was not selected in England’s Ashes squad which was declared a few days ago is set to be a part of the England Lions camp. However, the wicketkeeper-batter has decided that he would not be available for the entirety of the England Lions series.
The 24-year-old would be flying to Dubai to play in the ILT20 league, and is set to represent the Dubai Capitals. He will be a part of the Lions’ primary fixture, but will leave for Dubai before the ILT20 starts on December 2. However, the youngster will have a chance to impress Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes in the Lions’ game.
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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.
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. However, he also openly stated that he would not be praying for an injury on anyone. 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, which is expected to be one of the league’s highest cheques. The English youngster holds a contract which is worth $250,000. Though the exact dates are yet to be known, he will leave Australian shores before the England Lions take on Australia A.
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 piked 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.
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