Ollie Pope is set to continue as England wicketkeeper in the absence of an injured Jordan Cox, with the visitors naming an unchanged playing eleven for the second of their three-Test series against New Zealand.Pope took up wicketkeeping duties after Cox fractured his thumb during a net session. Replacement wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson has flown to New Zealand, but the team have decided to put their faith in Pope for the second Test.Middle-order batter Pope, who previously served as wicketkeeper when Ben Foakes fell ill in 2022, impressed behind the stumps in the first test, taking two catches.He also scored 77 in the first innings.England, who won the first test by eight wickets, will look to win their first test series away from home in two years when the second test gets underway in Wellington tomorrow.England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, JJoe Root, Harry Brook, Ollie Pope (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (captain), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Shoaib Bashir.Bethell receives contractupgrade after impressive debutEngland batter Jacob Bethell has been awarded a central contract upgrade, signing a two-year extension until September 2026, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said on Wednesday.Bethell, who made his Test debut last week during England’s eight-wicket win over New Zealand in Christchurch, has been upgraded from a development contract that the 21-year-old received last month.Against New Zealand, Bethell scored 10 in the first innings but smashed his maiden half-century in the second innings, helping England take a 1-0 lead in the three-match test series.The ECB has also handed two-year contract extensions to seamers Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, and Matthew Potts, running until September 2026.England’s central contractsJofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood.England’s one-year central contracts: Rehan Ahmed, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone, Josh Tongue, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes.England development contracts: Josh Hull, John Turner.
December 04, 2024 | 10:55 PM