SaqDan Lawrence has been left out of England’s squad for the three-Test tour of Pakistan in October, with Jordan Cox selected as a reserve batter in the 17-man squad.
Lawrence struggled to open the series against Sri Lanka, failing to pass 35 in six innings as he assumed an unfamiliar role in place of Zak Crawley, who was absent with a fractured finger. But with Crawley returning to face Pakistan and the presence of Cox, who is yet to make his Test debut, Lawrence missed out on a place on the tour.
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Cox was in the England squad for the series against Sri Lanka after impressing in his debut season at Essex, his 918 runs in the County Championship coming at a healthy average of 65.57 and a Bazball-approved strike rate of 70.61.
Brydon Carse is the other member of the squad yet to be selected in Test cricket; the Durham quick returned to action in August after serving a three-month ban for betting offences and has shown potential in previous white-ball appearances for England.
Chris Woakes is also in the list, although he did not take part in the tour of India last winter. It seemed then that Woakes’ future was entirely tied to local conditions, but with another productive summer and the retirement of Jimmy Anderson, he has become the wise old leader of a promising group. He has the opportunity to improve a poor record abroad.
Ben Stokes (Durham, captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Bryson Carse (Durham), Jordan Cox (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Notts), Josh Hull (Leic), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Pierre Olly (Notts), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).
Jack Leach, who will provide support to first-choice spinner Shoaib Bashir, and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed have been recalled. Ahmed has struggled for wickets this season in county cricket and the Hundred but made history in Pakistan two years ago by becoming England’s youngest male cricketer. The then teenager celebrated the feat by taking five wickets in Karachi.
There is still no place for Ollie Robinson, with the Sussex seamer exiled since the tour of India. Robinson was ever-present in England’s 3-0 win in Pakistan in 2022, taking nine wickets at 21.22, but others have become more appealing to selectors. Josh Hull, the 20-year-old left-hander who made his debut this month at the Oval, is included.
Crawley and Ben Stokes are in the squad as they recover from their respective injuries, with the Test captain still recovering from a torn hamstring. If Stokes fails to recover in time for the first Test, scheduled for October 7, Ollie Pope could then continue his tenure as caretaker leader. Woakes’ overall value could be significant should Stokes miss out on action.
Confusion persists over exactly where in Pakistan the three-match series will be played, but it appears that two Tests will take place in Rawalpindi, either side of a match in Multan.
The good news for Cox doesn’t stop at the red ball. He will make his England debut in Southampton on Wednesday in the first of three Twenty20 internationals against Australia, with Warwickshire’s Jacob Bethell also getting his first senior international cap.
Marcus Trescothick, England’s interim limited-overs coach, announced the XI as he welcomed the announcement of Brendon McCullum as head coach of all formats from January. The white-ball teams will adopt “the same approach” as the Test team, said Trescothick, who is McCullum’s assistant coach in the red-ball setup.
“You saw Brendon’s style and the way we approached the Test. It will be a similar approach to what happened there,” Trescothick said.
“I’ve spoken to him a lot in the last few weeks since the decision was made and we’re trying to bring a lot of what we do into the Test matches – the same message, the same language and the same approach. That’s where we’re going to go going forward.
“As assistant coaches we encouraged Brendon to take up this role because the impact he has had on the Test team at the moment has been brilliant.”
Trescothick was particularly complimentary about Bethell, the 20-year-old left-footer who will be called up for England on Wednesday. “I see a really talented kid who is coming through the game. I coached him a few times in the Under-19s programme a few years ago and it was really obvious to me that he was going to be a superstar.”
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