England recall Lawrence, Cox, Pope and Cook in 16-man Test squad for Pakistan series starting at Headingley on 19 August
England began their post-Ben Stokes era by recalling Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence, Sam Cook and Jordan Cox to a 16-strong Test squad for the three-match series against Pakistan, which gets underway at Headingley on 19 August. Joe Root returns as permanent Test captain for the series opener.
The selection represents a reshuffle of England’s Test group after Stokes’ departure from the format and leaves Root with a broad set of options from which to construct a balanced eleven. England have named a 16-player squad for the first two Tests, retaining Shoaib Bashir as the front-line spinner and confirming Dan Lawrence will bat at No 6. Lawrence’s off-spin has been noted as a tactical factor that could permit Root to pick four frontline fast bowlers at Headingley. The absence of a genuine all-rounder since Stokes’ exit is the principal selection challenge cited by the selectors.
Marcus North, England selector, said: “We have selected a squad for the first two Tests that balances rising talent with the experience needed against a quality Pakistan team. “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 3 in place of Jacob Bethell, who sadly misses this series through injury.”
Jordan Cox has been promoted to No 3 after making his debut at No 7 in June at the Oval, the side stepping in following Jacob Bethell’s withdrawal through injury. Bethell suffered an issue with his right knee during the final one-day international against India last month and, following scans, is already missing the entirety of The Hundred. The selectors described Cox’s elevation to No 3 as a key change to the batting order for the opening matches.
Ollie Pope returns to the Test fold after being dropped in favour of Bethell during the winter Ashes series and will begin the Pakistan tour in a reserve role. Pope’s inclusion is presented as adding experience to a squad that, aside from Root, contains relatively few senior internationals. Dan Lawrence’s recall is linked to his form for Surrey earlier in the season, per the selection statement.
The pace contingent for the first two Tests comprises six seam options: Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Fisher and Ollie Robinson. Both Carse and Cook were capped once last summer against Zimbabwe, and Carse — England’s leading wicket-taker during the 4-1 Ashes defeat — missed the first half of the summer with wrist and finger injuries. Other players named in the 16-strong squad are Joe Root (Yorkshire – captain); Jofra Archer (Sussex); Gus Atkinson (Surrey); Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire); Harry Brook (Yorkshire); Brydon Carse (Durham); Sam Cook (Essex); Jordan Cox (Essex); Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire); Matthew Fisher (Surrey); Emilio Gay (Durham); Dan Lawrence (Surrey); Ollie Pope (Surrey); Ollie Robinson (Sussex); Jamie Smith (Surrey); Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).
The Pakistan series is England’s first since Brendon McCullum was stood down as Test head coach and asked to concentrate on the white-ball programmes, and Stephen Fleming is not due to arrive until September, leaving Marcus Trescothick to act as interim head coach. How Fleming will assemble his backroom staff remains to be confirmed, with incumbent coaches awaiting decisions on whether they will continue across formats or specialise in limited-overs cricket. A report by 7News in Australia claimed Fleming has made an informal approach to Mike Hussey about the role of Test batting coach; Hussey is currently working at Welsh Fire in The Hundred and enjoyed a short stint as a consultant coach with England’s men when they won the T20 World Cup in late 2022.
Root’s first assignment back as permanent Test captain begins at Headingley on 19 August, with the selected 16-man squad named for the first two Tests providing the options he must reduce to a starting XI for that match.