England recalls Pope and Lawrence for Pakistan Tests

England has recalled Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence to the squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan. The duo has been included in a 16-man squad ahead of the series opener at Headingley on Wednesday, 19 August 2026. Jacob Bethell will miss the entire series due to injury, prompting Jordan Cox to be promoted to number three.

This three-match series marks England's first Test appearance since the retirement of captain Ben Stokes and the sacking of head coach Brendon McCullum. Joe Root will captain the side for the first time since his reappointment in July, while Marcus Trescothick serves as interim head coach. Stephen Fleming, McCullum's replacement, will officially assume the role against South Africa in December.

The squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan includes: 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, and Josh Tongue.

Lawrence, who last played Test cricket in September 2024, is recognized for his domestic performance, leading Division One of the County Championship with 788 runs at an average of 65.66, including five centuries in 13 innings. He is expected to bat at six, filling the middle-order spot left vacant by Stokes, though he does not directly replace him.

Only Gus Atkinson (79 wickets) has more Test wickets for England than Stokes (78) since June 2022. Lawrence, who bowls right-arm off-spin, has taken nine wickets from 178.2 overs in the County Championship this season.

Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed, both of whom were considered for Stokes' role, were not selected for the squad. National selector Marcus North stated, "We have selected a squad for the first two Tests that balances rising talent with the experience needed against a quality Pakistan team." He acknowledged Curran's heavy workload and injury issues, stating that they believed he was not fully fit for the Test squad at this time. Regarding Ahmed, North remarked, "Rehan has done nothing wrong - he’s someone we highly regard."

Pope, who lost his spot to Bethell during the final two Ashes Tests due to poor form, has also performed well domestically, scoring 510 runs at 56.66 for Surrey, including five innings over 50 runs. He faces competition for selection and will not automatically reclaim his spot in Bethell's absence. Cox, who debuted against New Zealand at The Oval, is expected to fill the number three position.

Sam Cook returns to the squad after last appearing during the previous summer, and Brydon Carse returns from a broken wrist. England continues to back spinner Shoaib Bashir, who participated in the first and third Tests against New Zealand. North confirmed that new head coach Fleming was involved in squad selection discussions despite not officially starting until after the Pakistan series.

On the topic of Stokes potentially reversing his retirement, North remarked, "Ben made the decision to retire... until he reverses that decision and does become available for selection, my job is to look at the players that are."