England include Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence in Test squad for Pakistan, Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse recalled

The three-match series is the first since captain Ben Stokes' surprise retirement, with Joe Root being reappointed as his replacement and Stephen Fleming replacing Brendon McCullum as head coach.

Marcus Trescothick will act as interim England head coach for the series against Pakistan, with Fleming taking over against South Africa in December.

Root will captain England's Test side for the first time since 2022, and will do so at his home ground at Headingley.

Cox - who made his Test debut against New Zealand earlier this summer - will bat at three, filling the void left by the injured Bethell.

Bethell injured his right knee in the ODI series against India last month, and will miss the whole of the series against Pakistan.

Elsewhere, Lawrence - who earned the last of his 14 Test caps against Sri Lanka in September 2024 - has been rewarded for his excellent form at county level.

The Surrey batter is the second-leading run scorer in Division One of the County Championship this season, averaging over 65 across 13 innings.

The 29-year-old is set to bat at six in England's line-up, replacing Stokes in the middle order.

"We have selected a squad for the first two Tests that balances rising talent with the experience needed against a quality Pakistan team," North, England Men national selector, 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 3 in place of Jacob Bethell, who sadly misses this series through injury."

Pope, who has averaged 56.66 this season for Surrey this season, has also been recalled to the squad for the first time since England's underwhelming Ashes tour of Australia earlier this year.

Sam Cook also returns to the squad, having made his Test debut last year against Zimbabwe, while Brydon Carse also returns from injury.

Shoaib Bashir has also retained his place in the squad, despite the spinner's struggles to get wickets.

The series against Pakistan begins on August 19, with further Tests at Lord's and Edgbaston.

England men's Test squad:
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)

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