England name 16-player squad for first two Tests against Pakistan; Joe Root returns as captain

England have announced a 16-member squad for the first two Tests of the three-match series against Pakistan, with the opening Test scheduled to begin at Headingley in Leeds on August 19, 2027.

The England and Wales Cricket Board selected the squad as Joe Root returns as Test captain for a second stint and Stephen Fleming has been appointed as the new head coach; Ben Stokes has retired and Root replaces him as captain. The series spans August and September 2027, with the remaining two Tests due to be played at Lord’s and Edgbaston.

Young batter Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of selection due to injury and is also not part of the Hundred Men’s 2026, prompting the recall of Ollie Pope as a backup. The ECB’s decision to include Pope follows Bethell’s unavailability and alters England’s planned middle-order options.

Dan Lawrence has been recalled to the Test squad after a two-year absence, having last played a Test at the Oval in September 2024 against Sri Lanka; England will list him at No. 6 while Jamie Smith is set to bat at No. 7. Jordan Cox, who recently made his Test debut in the series against New Zealand, has kept his place and is earmarked to bat at No. 3.

Pace bowlers Sam Cook and Brydon Carse have regained spots in the squad, while Rehan Ahmed — a member of the side that faced New Zealand — is omitted from this selection. England say they seek to revamp their Test standing and improve their statistics within the ongoing World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle; they currently sit in seventh place in that competition.

Pakistan arrive having drawn their recent Test series 1-1 against the West Indies. The England squad named for the first two Tests reads: Joe Root (C), Harry Brook, Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Brydon Carse, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue.

The squad announced by the ECB covers only the opening two fixtures of the three-match tour, with the first Test at Headingley on August 19 serving as the immediate next step for both teams as the series moves on to Lord’s and Edgbaston for the subsequent matches.