England have recalled Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence for the opening two Tests of the upcoming three-match series against Pakistan, starting August 19 at Headingley. It is also confirmed that Jacob Bethell will miss the series, owing to a knee injury. In his absence, Jordan Cox is expected to feature at number three.ย
Meanwhile, the Pakistan series will be England’s first in the Test format since Ben Stokes retired from international cricket and Brendon McCullum left his role as head coach. Joe Root will lead the side after returning as captain in July, while Marcus Trescothick takes charge on an interim basis before Stephen Fleming assumes coaching duties for the South Africa series in December.
The return of Lawrence and Pope
Lawrence returns to the national setup after last featuring in a Test in September 2024. His selection follows an impressive County Championship campaign with Surrey, where he has accumulated 788 runs at an average of 65.66, including five centuries in 13 innings. He is expected to occupy the number six position, filling the vacancy created by Stokes’ retirement.
While Lawrence offers an off-spin option, his role differs significantly from that of Stokes, whose impact with the ball has been substantial. Since June 2022, only Gus Atkinson, with 79 wickets, has taken more Test wickets for England than Stokes, who claimed 78. Lawrence has taken nine wickets from 178.2 overs in this season’s County Championship.
Pope also returns after losing his place following a prolonged run of low scores. The former vice-captain had been replaced at number three by Bethell during the closing stages of the Ashes in Australia and was later omitted from the squad for the New Zealand series. His domestic form has since improved, with 510 runs at 56.66 for Surrey, including five scores of 50 or more. However, Cox is expected to move into the top-order role during Bethell’s absence after making his Test debut against New Zealand at The Oval.
Other inclusions in England squad
The squad also includes the return of Sam Cook, who made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in May 2025 before remaining unused during the subsequent India series. Brydon Carse is back after recovering from a broken wrist that ruled him out of the IPL and the early part of England’s Test summer. Spinner Shoaib Bashir retains his place after featuring in the first and third Tests against New Zealand following his omission during the Ashes.
England squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan: Joe Root (c), 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, Josh Tongue.
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