Jordan Cox seizes No 3 opportunity with assured 73 at Leeds in only his second Test

Jordan Cox produced a composed 73 at No 3 for England at Leeds on Wednesday in only his second Test, resuming on 23 after England’s near-perfect Wednesday and putting on a steady partnership with Joe Root. Cox was dismissed on 73 after a prod off the back foot produced an outside edge.

At 19, Cox was unbeaten on 167 for Kent against Sussex in his fifth first-class match when he set himself the target of surpassing Sam Billings’ first-class best of 171, later finishing 238 not out. "I was just ticking people off," Cox said a few weeks later; Joe Denly’s top score of 227 was another benchmark in that youthful innings.

Cox showed no visible nerves at Leeds, using small pre-delivery routines — gentle taps on the ground and a shift onto the back foot — before presenting his bat with plenty of time. He occupied the crease alongside Joe Root, who has played 167 Tests, and the pair had recently been team-mates in the Hundred the previous week, wearing red for Welsh Fire.

Short bowling from Khurram Shahzad sent a ball wide at 76mph that produced a half‑hearted baseball swing and a chance the bowler could not hold; a similar delivery was met with a firm pull for four. Left-arm spin from Ali Usman eventually accounted for Cox, with the prod off the back foot leading to the outside edge that ended his innings.

The 25-year-old has been regarded among the country’s better batters for some time but made his Test debut only in June. He was due to debut in late 2024 against New Zealand as wicketkeeper but a broken thumb in the buildup prevented that appearance; after playing at the Oval two months ago he was omitted for the following Test at Trent Bridge.

Cox is currently a short-term replacement for the injured Jacob Bethell and has only a handful of white-ball internationals despite his pyrotechnics in the Hundred. He is primarily an Essex middle-order player suited to No 4 or No 5, able to play both measured innings and aggressive strokes, and has stated his willingness to adapt: "If you’ve got the No 1 and 2 Test batsmen in the world, I can’t imagine I’m going to squeeze them apart," said Cox last year.

His versatility has seen him open for Kent, bat at No 7 without the gloves on Test debut, and nearly take on wicketkeeping duties when Jamie Smith was on paternity leave; Dan Lawrence returned to the XI on Thursday and marked that comeback with a half-century. For this Test and the next Cox has the privilege of No 3, while the roles around him remain subject to change.