England Recall Pope, Lawrence for Pakistan Test Series

England have named a 16-man squad for the first two Tests of their three-match series against Pakistan, recalling Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence. Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the entire series with a knee injury. The opening Test begins at Headingley on August 19. The series will be England’s first since the retirement of captain Ben Stokes and the dismissal of head coach Brendon McCullum.

Joe Root returns as captain, while Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim coach. Stephen Fleming will take over as England’s head coach ahead of the Test series against South Africa in December. Lawrence, who last played a Test in September 2024, has enjoyed an outstanding County Championship season. He has scored 788 runs in 13 innings at an average of 65.66, including five centuries, and taken nine wickets with his off-spin. He is expected to bat at No. 6, replacing Stokes.

Pope returns after losing his place to Bethell during the Ashes in Australia. He has regained form in county cricket, scoring 510 runs at an average of 56.66, including five half-centuries. However, his place in the playing XI is not guaranteed. Bethell suffered a knee injury during the ODI series against India, with Jordan Cox expected to replace him at No. 3. Cox made his Test debut against New Zealand at The Oval, and the selectors believe he is ready for a bigger role.

England squad: Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.