Dan Lawrence has been left out of England’s squad for the three-Test tour of Pakistan in October, with Jordan Cox selected as the spare batter in the 17-man group.
Lawrence struggled as an opener in the series win against Sri Lanka, failing to pass 35 in six innings as he took on an unfamiliar role in place of Zak Crawley, who was absent because of a fractured finger. But with Crawley returning to face Pakistan, and Cox – yet to make his Test debut – also included, Lawrence has missed out on a touring berth.
Cox was in England’s squad for the series against Sri Lanka having impressed in his debut season at Essex, his 918 County Championship runs coming at a healthy average of 65.57 and Bazball-approved strike rate of 70.61.
Brydon Carse is the other member of the squad still uncapped in Test cricket; the Durham quick returned to playing in August after serving a three-month ban for betting offences and has shown potential in previous white-ball appearances for England.
Chris Woakes makes the list, too, despite being left out of the tour of India last winter. It seemed then that Woakes’s future was tied exclusively to home conditions but, with another productive summer and the retirement of Jimmy Anderson, he has become the wise old head of a promising pace group. The chance awaits to improve a poor overseas record.
There is a recall for Jack Leach, who will provide spin support for the first-choice tweaker Shoaib Bashir, and a place for the leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed. Ahmed has struggled for wickets this season in county cricket and the Hundred but made history in Pakistan two years ago when he became England’s youngest male Test cricketer. The then-teenager celebrated the achievement with a five-wicket haul in Karachi.
There continues to be no room for Ollie Robinson, however, the Sussex seamer having been exiled since the tour of India. Robinson was ever present in England’s 3-0 series win in Pakistan in 2022, taking nine wickets at 21.22, but others have grown more appealing to the selectors. Josh Hull, the 20-year-old left-armer who debuted 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 on the mend from a hamstring tear. Should Stokes not recover in time for the first Test, scheduled to begin on 7 October, then the opportunity opens up for Ollie Pope to continue his stint as interim leader. Woakes’s all-round value may be of significance should Stokes miss any action.
Confusion remains over where exactly in Pakistan the three-match series will be played, but it looks as if two Tests will take place in Rawalpindi, either side of one match in Multan.
The good news for Cox does not stop with the red ball. He will make his England debut in Southampton on Wednesday in the first of three T20 internationals against Australia, with Warwickshire’s Jacob Bethell to also receive his first senior international cap.
Marcus Trescothick, England’s interim limited-overs head coach, announced the XI as he hailed the announcement of Brendon McCullum as the all-format head coach from January. The white-ball teams will take on “the same approach” as the Test team, said Trescothick, who is McCullum’s assistant coach in the red-ball setup.
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“You’ve seen Brendon’s style and the Test way that we’ve gone about it. It’ll be a similar approach to what’s happened there,” Trescothick said.
“I’ve spoken to him quite a bit in the last few weeks since the decision was made and we’re trying to bring a lot of what we do within the Test matches: the same messaging, the same language and the same approach. That’s where we’re going to be going forward.
“As assistant coaches we’ve been urging Brendon to do that position because the impact he’s had on the Test team at the moment has been brilliant.”
Trescothick was particularly glowing about Bethell, the 20-year-old left-hander who will slot into England’s middle order on Wednesday. “I see a super-talented kid who’s making his way in the game. I’ve coached him a couple of times through the under-19s programme going back a couple of years and it was really evident to me that he was going to be a superstar.”
