"Give me a call back, it's Baz" - Jordan Cox recalls how his maiden inclusion in England's Test squad happened

England rookie batter Jordan Cox recently recalled his interaction with coach Brendon McCullum ahead of his maiden call-up. He will join the Test squad for the three-game series against Sri Lanka. The right-hander admitted to being surprised as he expected a call-up to the white-ball squad.

The Essex cricketer is one of the most promising batters in their domestic circuit. The 23-year-old averages a promising 39.46 in 51 first-class fixtures alongside a best of 238* and has 7 centuries.

The youngster said that he first interpreted the missed call from McCullum as someone trying to sell him something and called back. Cox elaborated to BBC Essex Sport:

"I was at Battersea Park and I had a missed call. I just thought it was someone trying to sell me something so left it. Then Baz sent me a text saying 'give me a call back, it's Baz.' I called back pretty quick hoping he didn't choose someone else instead of me. I've always felt I was a bit closer to the white-ball side than anything, so to get the call in red-ball is amazing."

Nevertheless, it's uncertain if Cox will get to play in the series due to England's settled middle order.

"These three games, I think I'll learn so much from that" - Jordan Cox

The right-hander also said that he learned a lot during the T20I series against Pakistan in 2022 despite not playing a game. He added:

"My Pakistan tour, seven T20s, I was there for a month, I think I learned more in that month than I have in my five years playing professional cricket. These three games, I think I'll learn so much from that, it'll be the best experience of my life, for sure."

The three-Test series against Sri Lanka begins on August 21 at Old Trafford in Manchester. The remaining two venues for the Test series are the Lord's and The Oval. The Englishmen, led by Ben Stokes are coming off a three-Test series sweep over the West Indies,