Essex wicketkeeper Jordan Cox in line for England Test debut in New Zealand in December - with Jamie Smith set to attend the birth of his first child

Essex keeper-batsman Jordan Cox is in line for a Test debut in New Zealand in December after it emerged that Jamie Smith was likely to miss the last two games of England's three-match series there because of paternity leave.

Smith, who has endured a tricky time so far in Pakistan but still averages nearly 42 from his first eight Tests, told Mail Sport earlier this month that he would sacrifice his England place in order to attend the birth of his first child.

And head coach Brendon McCullum confirmed that England were planning for him to play in the first Test at Christchurch, starting on November 28, but to miss the games in Wellington and Hamilton.

'It's life, right?' said McCullum. 'People have kids and we wish them all the best to be there and support their partners. At this stage, it looks like Jamie will probably play the first one, and may miss the next two.

'We've got Jordan Cox in the squad. New Zealand is a comfortable place to wicket-keep and it would be great to have a look at him. I've done a bit of work with him over the last little while, and he's annoyingly good at everything he does. He's got a high ceiling in terms of talent, particularly with bat in hand.'

The 23-year-old Cox made his international debut during the T20 series against Australia in September, scoring 17 and nought. But his game has flourished since leaving Kent, where his first-class average was 34, and joining Essex, where it has risen to 65. Above all, perhaps, he is not short of confidence.

England are having to regroup here in Pakistan after losing the second Test by 152 runs, setting up a decider in Rawalpindi on Thursday. But McCullum defended the performance of off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, whose six wickets in the series have cost 51 each, and whose development will continue when he joins the England Lions tour of Australia in the new year.

'For Bash, the opportunity to get some experience in those conditions could be vital for us,' he said. 'I've been really impressed by him. I know he had a quiet first Test, but it was the nature of the surface as well. He's one of those guys who, on his day, can be an absolute match-winner. On the right surfaces, he's a real handful. That's what we've just got to keep reinforcing.'

Bashir could yet be one of three frontline spinners in Rawalpindi if England arrive to discover another under-prepared track, with Leicestershire leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed in the mix to win a second cap, two years after marking his debut with a five-wicket haul in Karachi.

McCullum insisted England had the 'artillery' to handle another turning track, but played down the notion that opponents had worked out how to beat them – essentially, by avoiding the kind of flat pitch on which they hammered 823 for seven in the first of the two Multan Tests.

'If we had won the toss and got a few more runs, would the result have been different?' he said after the second game. 'I don't know. But I know these guys play spin very well.

'Yes, we've been beaten a few times, but we weren't the only team to go to India and lose in spinning conditions, and we've got a pretty good record here in Pakistan. I certainly don't mind if it spins in the next one. I think we've got the artillery to handle it.'

McCullum also heaped praise on Durham quick Brydon Carse, whose first two Tests in punishing conditions have produced nine wickets at 24, and said he had the raw materials to succeed in Australia next winter.

'He's really impressive,' said McCullum. 'He's done a great job and he looks like he's got a big future.'