Stuart Broad has heaped praise on Jordan Cox and says he could replace Jamie Smith as England's future wicketkeeper after the Essex batter made an impressive 73 off 100 balls in the first Test against Pakistan. Cox - replacing the injured Jacob Bethell - came in at No 3 and hit 10 fours on the way to his maiden Test fifty in just his second match. He was one of four England top-order batters to make a half-century in an impressive performance that saw them build a 195-run lead over a lacklustre Pakistan by stumps on day two at Headingley.
While Bethell is a shoo-in to make a return to No 3 after he recovers from a knee injury, Broad feels that Cox's knock could help him earn a shot at another role in England's Test XI: Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player "I thought he played really nicely," Broad said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. "He's batting number three in his second Test match, he's scored a lot of his runs for Essex, batting four and five, averaging 65 for them. "But the opportunity in the England side isn't at four or five, it's at three because of Jacob Bethell's injury.
So he wants to grab that opportunity. "Half of his mind must be thinking, well, Jacob Bethell's coming back into this side - there's no doubt about that. [Bethell made] a century at the Sydney Cricket Ground and looks a fine player. "'But If I score runs, maybe I could be the wicketkeeper batting number seven' - and maybe that's his slot into this team.
"He's going to do that by weight of runs and showing that he's streetwise, he's battle-hardened and he's ready for the fight. "He showed all those attributes today. And he played really nicely on a pitch that has nibbled and spun a little bit.
"I think England will be really happy with the position they've got themselves into. 364 runs with a good lead. And Cox will be thrilled with his day's work." Stuart Broad also praised the performance of all-rounder Dan Lawrence, who made his first Test half-century since 2022 after coming in at No 6. Despite his impressive performance with the bat, Broad has argued he needs to perform with the ball if he wants to make a claim to replace Ben Stokes as England all-rounder: "That number seven or number six spot in front of Jamie Smith is up for grabs," Broad added.
"You've got Will Jacks as an option who's currently missing. This is the Stokes conundrum. "Dan Lawrence will score useful runs...
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