The Essex wicketkeeper eyes Jamie Smith's England spot after the Pakistan series

One man desperate to bounce back in next week's series decider against Pakistan in Rawalpindi will be wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

The 24-year-old caused a shock in England's 152-run defeat in the second Test in Multan when he made little impression with the bat and took the crucial catch from Salman on the third day at the start of an innings that kept the game moving inexorably Agha dropped in favor of Pakistan.

For a goalkeeper whose gloves were almost flawless in his debut summer in England, this was a test to forget.

Now Smith must remind everyone why England trusted him ahead of Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow at the start of the summer or he could risk losing his place.

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It's not because of a single bad performance. No, it's because he is likely to miss most of England's next tour of New Zealand, which begins next month, due to the birth of his first child.

Brendon McCullum, England coach, confirmed after the defeat in Multan that Smith will miss the second and third Tests in Wellington and Hamilton to be by his partner Kate's side for the birth of their first child.

England will arrive in New Zealand in mid-November with the series starting in Christchurch on November 28. The due date for Smith's son is between December 6th and 18th, when the last two Tests will be played.

“Obviously it's life, isn't it?” said McCullum. “People have children and we wish them all the best for being there and supporting their partners. I think at this point it looks like Jamie will probably play the first part and possibly miss the next two. We’re not entirely sure – it’s a bit Mother Nature.”

Speaking earlier this month, Smith admitted he would be willing to give up his seat to attend the birth of his son.

“For me, family comes first,” he told the Daily Mail. “There is no doubt that it is great to play for England, but that has nothing to do with the other things. “If someone comes in and does a fantastic job and goes somewhere else with the selection, I won’t make a fuss.

“Being present at the birth of my son is something I don't want to miss. It will be a memory I cherish more than any other in cricket. If I lost my place because of this, then so be it.”

There will be no place for either Foakes or Bairstow on this New Zealand tour. Instead, McCullum has confirmed that Smith's place will be taken by Jordan Cox, the highly talented Essex wicketkeeper-batsman who was part of the England squad last summer, made his international T20 debut against Australia last month and is a reserve player here in Pakistan -batsman and -keeper.

The 23-year-old had an excellent first summer for Essex after moving from Kent, scoring four centuries in the County Championship and averaging 65.57 as a specialist batsman.

If Bazball could develop the perfect prototype player – young, aggressive and brilliant on the field – Cox would be the one.

He even reduced the golf course at the England team hotel here in Multan to rubble.

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“From our perspective, we know we have Jordan Cox in the squad here,” McCullum said.

“New Zealand is a comfortable place to take wicket and it would be great to take a look at Jordan too. His stance is solid. I've been working with him a bit lately. He is natural in everything he does.

“He's actually shockingly good at everything he does, especially on the golf course. He's one of those people you look at and say he's got a high ceiling of talent, especially with the bat in his hand, and there's a good chance he'll get the opportunity to bat in New Zealand when Jamie returns home the order and take the gloves.”

The reality is that Cox will just be a placeholder while Smith takes care of the family business. Even if he comes into the team, stays well and scores big runs, England are likely to stick with Smith for the first Test of the summer against Zimbabwe in May – their next red-ball assignment to New Zealand.

However, in cricket, as in life, nothing is certain. Cox could find himself somewhere in the middle order for England in the event of injury or a loss of form and is likely to secure a permanent spot at some point in the future.

Smith could do with an appearance in Rawalpindi this week that ensures he isn't the one at the center of that selection debate whenever it comes.