Jordan Cox looks set to make his England Test debut on the tour of New Zealand, with Jamie Smith likely to miss part of the series for the birth of his first child.

Essex’s Cox, who turns 24 on Monday, is the back-up wicketkeeper to Smith on the current tour of Pakistan.

England play three Tests in New Zealand in November and December.

“At this stage it looks like Jamie will probably play the first one and may miss the next two,” said England head coach Brendon McCullum.

“It’s sort of up to Mother Nature a little bit. New Zealand is a comfortable place to keep wicket and it would be great to have a look at Jordan Cox as well.”

Surrey keeper Smith, 24, has won eight Test caps since being promoted to England’s first-choice gloveman at the beginning of the home summer. He will be behind the stumps for the series decider against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, beginning on Thursday.

Cox has played two T20 internationals for England and has been the spare batter and keeper in the Test squad since the home series against Sri Lanka in the summer.

He joined Essex from Kent for the 2024 season, but has not kept wicket in first-class cricket since July 2023 partly because of a horrible finger injury sustained playing in The Hundred in August of that year. In all, he has kept in only six first-class matches.

“His keeping is solid,” said McCullum, himself a former international wicketkeeper. “I’ve done a bit of work with him over the last little while.

“He’s actually annoyingly good at everything he does, one of those guys that you look at and say he’s got a high ceiling in terms of talent, particularly with bat in hand.

“There’s a fair chance he’ll get the opportunity in New Zealand, if Jamie does return home, to bat down the order and take the gloves.”