The tourists have retained most of the squad that toured Pakistan recently, with Jacob Bethell being the only addition to the side. Bethel, 21, impressed on his white-ball debut against Australia in September, scoring a matchwinning 44 off 24 in the second T20I in Cardiff.

Bethell has come in as a replacement for Smith, who will miss the entirety of the three-match Test series due to paternity leave. Smith's absence means uncapped Kent wicketkeeper Jordan Cox is set to don the gloves when England play the series opener in Christchurch.

"Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith will miss the tour as he takes paternity leave for the birth of his first child, with Jordan Cox in line to take on wicketkeeping duties and the opportunity of winning his first Test cap," confirmed England Cricket Board (ECB) in a media release.

Cox will join the Test squad, along with Rehan Ahmed and Bethell, after participating in a white-ball tour in the Caribbean against the West Indies.

Smith’s recent appearance in England whites came during the Pakistan tour, where his team went down by 2-1, despite having started with a massive victory in the first Multan Test. His most notable outing came in the final match in Rawalpindi, where he smashed a 119-ball 89, coming in at 98-5 to take England to 267 in the first innings.

Jacob Bethell - Maiden Test call up ✅

England have announced their squad for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.

Read here ➡️ https://t.co/HzPG22TrT6 pic.twitter.com/BgBixP8iIA

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) October 29, 2024

Having made his Test debut against the West Indies in July this year, Smith has successfully established himself as a regular in the squad with four fifties and a hundred in his first nine Tests.

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