Cox and Baker to make England Test debuts in second Test against New Zealand

England head coach Brendon McCullum has announced a much-changed XI for the second Test against New Zealand starting on Wednesday. Essex batter Jordan Cox and Hampshire fast bowler Sonny Baker will make their Test debuts. Surrey's Matthew Fisher will play his second Test, more than four years after his first, while Jofra Archer returns for the first time this summer.

The changes come amidst injuries and an incident involving Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson in a London nightclub last week. Both players were left out of the squad pending an investigation after breaking the team's midnight curfew and being present when a security staff member was struck by a Saracens rugby player. Ollie Robinson is out with soreness in his right knee, with Baker replacing him, and Shoaib Bashir is also dropped as England opted against picking a spinner.

Cox's Test debut has been long awaited. He would have played in New Zealand in 2024 but broke his thumb in the build-up. Last weekend, he scored 204 from 201 balls for Essex against Leicestershire. McCullum said Cox was chosen at number seven in Stokes' absence because of his "power and his rounded game".

Baker, a lively bowler capable of nearly 90mph, had difficult ODI and T20 international debuts last year but has taken 22 wickets in six County Championship matches this season. McCullum compared him to Mark Wood, saying: "He's got good air speed, he swings the ball, he's got great skills, but he charges in and he's got wild celebrations and you can just see that cricket is what he wants to do."

Fisher, who provides a new-ball option, played his only other Test in West Indies in 2022. McCullum acknowledged "a bit of chaos" around the squad but expressed confidence in the selected side. "I look at that line-up we have this week and it's super exciting," he said. "It doesn't guarantee us success but it's a first real test of where we're at. I'm quietly confident we're going to see some exciting cricket."