England Recalls Pope and Lawrence for Pakistan Tests; Bethell Out with Injury
Key Points
- Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence recalled to England squad for first two Tests against Pakistan beginning August 19 at Headingley.
- Jacob Bethell ruled out of entire three-match series due to knee injury sustained during ODI series against India in July; Jordan Cox promoted to bat at number three.
- Dan Lawrence earned recall after scoring 788 runs at 65.66 average in County Championship with five centuries in 13 innings; Ollie Pope scored 510 runs at 56.66 for Surrey.
Ollie Pope returns after an extended period of poor form saw him dropped following the Ashes, where he was replaced by Bethell at number three for the final two Tests in Australia. Pope has performed well in county cricket for Surrey, scoring 510 runs at an average of 56.66 with five scores of 50 or above. Pope averages 34.55 across 64 Tests for England.
Squad Changes and Coaching Transition
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The 16-man squad includes Joe Root as captain, marking his first time leading the side since his reappointment in July. Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach, with Stephen Fleming beginning his tenure against South Africa in December. This marks England's first Test outing since the retirement of captain Ben Stokes and the sacking of head coach Brendon McCullum.
Brydon Carse returns to the squad after a broken wrist ruled him out of the Indian Premier League and the start of the Test summer. Essex seamer Sam Cook also returns for the first time since summer 2024, having made his international debut against Zimbabwe in May 2025. Cook was named in the squad for the five-match series against India but did not feature.
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England are retaining spinner Shoaib Bashir, who featured in the first and third Tests against New Zealand after being overlooked during the Ashes.
The full 16-man squad for the first two Tests includes: Joe Root (captain), 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, and Josh Tongue. Marcus North stated: "Jordan Cox is well regarded as one of the most exciting talents in English cricket and will have the opportunity to bat at three in place of Jacob Bethell, who sadly misses this series through injury."
The squad selection reflects a balance between established performers returning to form and rising talent. Lawrence's 788-run County Championship tally places him second among Division One run-scorers this season, while his five-century haul demonstrates sustained domestic performance. Pope's return comes after two centuries and three further 50-plus scores in county cricket, suggesting both players have used their periods out of international cricket productively. The first Test begins on August 19 at Headingley.
Sources: AP, Reuters, ESPN, Bloomberg, BBC and other international news outlets.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Content is based on publicly available news sources.
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