Crocombe’s selection may raise eyebrows, given other recent picks such as Essex’s Sam Cook and Durham’s Matthew Potts have been overlooked, but it should not be a big surprise.
When England named their squad for the first Test, Key said Crocombe had “really kicked on” this season.
A product of Sussex’s academy, Crocombe was first picked by England Lions in 2024 before struggles with injury.
It was when he began this season with his maiden five-wicket haul – and nine in the match – against Leicestershire that he began to seriously catch the eye.
England squad for second Test: Joe Root (Yorkshire, captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jordan Cox (Essex), Henry Crocombe (Sussex), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Matthew Fisher (Surrey), Emilio Gay (Durham), James Rew (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Jamie Smith (Surrey, wk), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).