Joe Root will return to the captaincy when England begin their three-match Test series against Pakistan later this month, as part of a 16-man squad.
The contest is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship, with England currently seventh in the standings and Pakistan one place below in eighth.
Dan Lawrence is back in the Test setup for the first time in two years after an exceptional County Championship campaign. The middle-order batter forced his way into contention by compiling 788 runs in 13 innings at an average of 65.66. Lawrence has previously featured in 14 Tests, scoring 671 runs, including four fifties.
Jordan Cox also earns a place in the squad after Jacob Bethell was ruled out with the right knee injury he sustained during the recent series against India. Bethell is expected to miss the entire Pakistan series.
Root’s appointment marks his first stint as England’s Test captain since Ben Stokes retired from the format following the home series against New Zealand.
England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
Series schedule:
1st Test – 19-23 August, Headingley, Leeds
2nd Test – 27-31 August, Lord’s, London
3rd Test – 9-13 September, Edgbaston, Birmingham
