England’s Joe Root. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Dan Lawrence was recalled by England after two years on Thursday (August 6, 2026) to play in the first test against Pakistan and Jacob Bethell was ruled out of the three-match series by a right knee injury.
The post-Ben Stokes era starts in Leeds on Aug. 19 and Surrey batting allrounder Lawrence will have the first crack at trying to fill the prodigious shoes of the former test captain.
He is set to bat at No. 6 with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith likely to slot in one place lower down, while Bethell being sidelined has opened the door for Jordan Cox at first drop in the batting order.
Cox’s own injury misfortune meant he made his test debut only in June against New Zealand at The Oval, where he was down at No. 7.
Fast bowler Brydon Carse missed the 2-1 loss against the Black Caps because of an injury to his right hand but he was named in England’s 16-man squad for the first two tests under returning captain Joe Root, with Marcus Trescothick interim coach in the absence of the newly appointed Stephen Fleming, who had a say in selection.
Former vice-captain Ollie Pope was back after being discarded during the Ashes series in Australia where he averaged 20.83 before making way for Bethell. Seamer Sam Cook was also in, after his lone test appearance against Zimbabwe in May 2025.
Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was retained although it remained to be seen if he keeps his spot in the XI after confirmation that Lawrence, who bowls off-spin, will definitely be in the team.
Lawrence has been in the international wilderness since the last of his 14 test appearances in September 2024, having struggled batting out of position as an opener against Sri Lanka.
He has, though, been in a rich vein of form in division one of the County Championship, averaging 65.66 with five centuries in eight outings this season.
Bowling allrounders Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed were the other options to try to balance the side in the absence of Stokes, who ended his storied England career following the series defeat by the Kiwis after 7,273 runs and 252 wickets in tests.
England has lost seven of its last nine tests and not won a series since December 2024. It also plays Pakistan at Lord’s and Birmingham.
Published – August 06, 2026 03:41 pm IST
