England have announced a 16-member squad for the first two matches of the three-Test series against Pakistan. Following Ben Stokes’ retirement, Joe Root will lead the team for the first time as the permanent Test captain.
The England Cricket Board has announced a 16-member squad for the first two matches of the three-Test series against Pakistan, which will begin on August 19. The first Test of the series will be played at Headingley.
Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope and Sam Cook have returned to the squad, while young batter Jordan Cox has also been included again and has been given the responsibility of batting at number three. He has been given this opportunity because Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the entire Pakistan series due to a knee injury.
England selector Marcus North said that a balanced squad combining experience and young talent had been selected against a strong team like Pakistan.
Dan Lawrence will bat at number six, while his off-spin bowling will provide the team with an additional option, which could help England take the field with four frontline fast bowlers.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir has been retained in the squad, while the fast bowlers include Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Fisher, Ollie Robinson, Brydon Carse and Sam Cook. Brydon Carse has also returned to the Test team after recovering from injury.
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National Squad
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board had announced a 16-member national squad for the tours of the West Indies and England.
Pakistan’s 16-member squad includes Babar Azam (captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Fazal, Ali Usman, Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Owais Zafar, Mohammad Ghazi Ghori, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shan Masood and Ubaid Shah.
The three-Test series between Pakistan and England will begin on August 19 and is also being considered important for both teams in the context of the World Test Championship.
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