England announce squad for opening two Tests against Pakistan

England have named a 16-man squad for the opening two Tests of their three-match home series against Pakistan, with Dan Lawrence returning to the side after a two-year absence and Jordan Cox set for an extended role in the top order.

Lawrence has been recalled to fill the vacancy at No. 6 following the retirement of former captain Ben Stokes. National selector Marcus North confirmed the 29-year-old Surrey batter will slot into the middle order after an outstanding County Championship campaign, during which he has averaged more than 65 and scored five centuries.

Lawrence’s last Test appearance came in September 2024 against Sri Lanka, where he was asked to open the batting in his 14th Test before falling out of the side.

Jordan Cox, meanwhile, has been entrusted with the No. 3 position after Jacob Bethell was ruled out through injury. The 25-year-old made his Test debut against New Zealand at The Oval in June, replacing Stokes.

Joe Root will captain England for a second spell, beginning with the series opener against Pakistan at Headingley on August 19.

Fast bowler Brydon Carse also returns after recovering from the right-hand injury that forced him to miss England’s 2-1 series defeat to New Zealand.

Marcus Trescothick will oversee the team as interim head coach for the series before former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming takes over as England’s full-time red-ball coach, succeeding Brendon McCullum.

England have also recalled former vice-captain Ollie Pope, who was dropped after struggling for runs during the team’s 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia. Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has retained his place, although England are yet to decide whether to field a specialist spinner at Headingley.

The hosts head into the series under pressure, having lost seven of their last nine Tests and without a series victory since December 2024.

“We have selected a squad for the first two Tests that balances rising talent with the experience needed against a quality Pakistan team,” North said.

“Dan Lawrence returns following an exceptional season so far with Surrey and we believe he has the right level of experience, maturity and skill to complement our middle order.

“Jordan Cox is well regarded as one of the most exciting talents in English cricket and will have the opportunity to bat at three in place of Jacob Bethell, who sadly misses this series through injury.”

Pakistan, meanwhile, will arrive in England after sharing a 1-1 draw in their two-Test series against the West Indies.

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