LONDON: England have named a 16-man squad for the opening two Tests of their three-match home series against Pakistan, with Joe Root set to lead the side as permanent Test captain for the first time following Ben Stokes’ retirement.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the squad on Wednesday ahead of the series, which begins on Aug. 19 at Headingley.
Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope and Sam Cook return to the squad, while young batter Jordan Cox has also been recalled and is expected to bat at No. 3.
Cox replaces Jacob Bethell, who has been ruled out of the entire Pakistan series with a knee injury.
England selector Marcus North said the squad strikes the right balance between experience and emerging talent against a strong Pakistan side.
He praised Lawrence for his impressive performances in the County Championship and described Cox as one of England’s most promising young batters.
Lawrence is expected to bat at No. 6, while his off-spin bowling will provide England with an additional bowling option and could allow the team to field four specialist fast bowlers.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir has retained his place in the squad.
The pace attack includes Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Fisher, Ollie Robinson, Brydon Carse and Sam Cook. Carse returns after recovering from injury.
The Pakistan series will also mark the beginning of a new coaching era for England.
Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach after Brendon McCullum stepped down from the Test role. Stephen Fleming is due to take over as permanent head coach in September.
The three-match Test series between England and Pakistan begins on Aug. 19 and is expected to play an important role in both teams’ ICC World Test Championship campaigns.
