James Rew earns maiden call-up for Zimbabwe Test

England has called up 21-year-old Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman James Rew for his maiden Test appearance in the upcoming one-off match against Zimbabwe, set to begin on May 22 at Trent Bridge. Rew replaces Essex's Jordan Cox, who was ruled out after sustaining an abdominal muscle injury during a County Championship match against Somerset. Rew has been in outstanding form in the 2025 County Championship, averaging 54.21 with a top score of 152. Notably, he became the youngest Englishman since Denis Compton in 1939 to reach 10 first-class centuries, achieving this milestone with a match-winning 116 against Essex last week. A graduate of the England Lions pathway, Rew was part of the squad that toured Australia last winter and played a central role in the Young Lions’ run to the ICC U19 World Cup final in 2022. The upcoming Test against Zimbabwe marks the first meeting between the two sides since 2003 and will be only the second four-day Test played by Zimbabwe. The match also signifies the start of England's home international summer, which will be followed by a five-match Test series against India. England's revised squad for the Zimbabwe Test includes: Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, James Rew, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, and Josh Tongue.