Jacob Bethell omitted from England squad for Pakistan Tests after knee injury

Jacob Bethell has been left out of England’s 16-man squad for the opening two Tests of the three-match series against Pakistan, which begins on August 19 at Headingley in Leeds, after suffering a knee injury.

The series will run across three Tests with Pakistan naming their squad under captain Babar Azam, arriving off a 1-1 draw in the West Indies; Joe Root will lead England in his first Test series since becoming Test captain for the second time, while newly appointed head coach Stephen Fleming will miss the tour and Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach.

The England and Wales Cricket Board disclosed a 16-member group for the first two Tests that includes returns for Dan Lawrence—his first selection since September 2024—alongside Ollie Pope, Brydon Carse and Sam Cook; the squad also reflects the retirement of Ben Stokes and the exclusion of Rehan Ahmed.

Bethell, 22, was not selected because he sustained a knee injury during the final ODI against India; his most recent international appearance came in the third ODI at Lord’s against India, where he won the Man of the Match award.

The left-hander has been described in the squad announcement as one of the youngest English batters to score a century in all three formats and is viewed by selectors as a high-potential player, but the knee issue forced his withdrawal from selection discussions.

Bethell was forced to pull out of The Hundred Men’s 2026, where he had been due to make his captaincy debut with Birmingham Phoenix, and Jordan Cox is expected to take the No. 3 spot in the England batting order for the upcoming Tests.

The three-match Test series begins at Headingley on August 19, with the second Test scheduled for August 27 at Lord’s and the third on September 9 at Edgbaston.