Smith and his wife are expecting their first child in mid-December, and the start is likely to clash with either England’s second or New Zealand’s third. “Being at the birth of my son is not something I want to miss,” he told Day to day mail not long ago. “Anyway, it will be a memory I will cherish more than any other in cricket, so if I lost my place because of that, so be it.”
“It’s life, right?” McCullum testified about Smith’s absence. “People have kids and we wish them all the best, to be there and support their partners. At this point, it looks like Jamie will probably play the first role.” [Test in New Zealand] and you may miss the next two. “We’re not totally sure, it depends a little bit on Mother Nature, but we know we have Jordan Cox on the team.”
England will not be concerned that Cox has rarely saved at full pace, as demonstrated by Smith’s own selection earlier this summer despite being second choice behind Ben Foakes at Surrey. McCullum believes, from personal experience, that New Zealand is “a comfortable place” to book wickets, and wants to see how Cox, whose glove work he describes as “solid”, fares in the Test setting.
Cox needs to make his ODI debut in that line and will have the chance to make an overdue claim for a place in the England squad for next season’s Champions Trophy. But it is the anticipation of a test debut at this speed that would satisfy his anxiety and serve as vindication for the miles of wind he will accumulate in the first part of the English frost.
“He’s annoyingly good at everything he does, especially on the golf course,” McCullum said. “He’s one of those guys who you look at and say has a high ceiling in terms of talent, particularly with the bat in his hand. There’s a big chance he’ll get the opportunity in New Zealand, if Jamie comes home, to Override the order and take the gloves.”
