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Essex’s Cox, an aggressive 23-year-old right-handed batter, was part of England’s Test squad for the series against Sri Lanka which concluded on Monday but did not play.<\/p>\n
He was also the top scorer for men’s champions Oval Invincibles in this year’s Hundred, scoring 214 runs in seven matches with a strike-rate of 143.62.<\/p>\n
Barbados-born Bethell first emerged as part of England’s Under-19 squad that were runners-up at the 2022 World Cup.<\/p>\n
The left-hander, who also bowls left-arm spin, scored 166 runs in seven innings for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred this year and was part of the Birmingham Bears side that reached the quarter-finals of the T20 Blast.<\/p>\n
He moved to England as a 13-year-old after receiving a cricket scholarship at Rugby School.<\/p>\n
Bethell’s Warwickshire team-mate Dan Mousley, Hampshire seamer John Turner and left-armer Josh Hull, who made his Test debut in the third Test against Sri Lanka, are the other uncapped players in England’s squad but have been overlooked for Wednesday’s series-opener.<\/p>\n
England omitted Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali – the latter has since retired from England duty – from the squad but seven of the T20 World Cup squad from earlier this year make the XI.<\/p>\n
Salt, who will also keep wicket in Buttler’s absence, will open with Will Jacks, while all-rounders Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran, plus bowlers Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer and Reece Topley keep their places.<\/p>\n
Surrey’s Overton will play as a batter only as he recovers from a back injury.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n