Dan Lawrence has been recalled to England's Test squad and is set to bat at No.6 in the first series of Joe Root's second captaincy tenure.
England have named their first squad of the post-Stokes era, and provided several answers to the quesitons facing Root in the first series of his second captaincy. The most notable of those answers is to how England will balance their side in the absence of Stokes, with Lawrence revealed as their first point of call.
Lawrence has played a Test or been named in a Test squad since the final match of England's home series against Sri Lanka in 2024. During that series, Lawrence opened the batting in place of an injured Zak Crawley. He made a high score of 35 in that series, and was criticised for the shot which saw his dismissal in the final Test of the series, which England lost at The Oval.
However, Lawrence has been in blistering form in the County Championship for Surrey this year, batting in the middle-order with five hundreds to his name. He's also taken nine wickets with his off-spin, and is a similar fit to how England used Will Jacks over the winter. Nevertheless, while Lawrence does provide some balance, he still leaves England with the problem they've always had when Stokes is unavailable, the lack a seam-bowling allrounder in their top six.
England Test squad vs Pakistan: 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
Ollie Pope, Sam Cook recalled
One of the stand-out names included in the squad is Ollie Pope. Pope was dropped during the winter Ashes series and replaced by Jacob Bethell, who sits out of this series with a knee injury. As Jordan Cox has been confirmed as Bethell's replacement at three, and Lawrence has been slated to bat at No.6, Pope is likely included in the squad as a spare batter and wicketkeeper. Nevertheless, it's a remarkable turnaround for the former vice-captain, who was left out when England drew from their county resources for their Test at The Oval just over a month ago. It also means James Rew has slipped down the pecking order as England's spare keeper following his Test debut at The Oval.
Sam Cook has also earned a recall, having been overlooked since his Test debut against Zimbabwe last year. Cook has taken 27 wickets in the County Championship so far this year, and is currently playing for Welsh Fire in The Hundred.
His recall might also show the beginnings that England will roll back on the pace focus from the Stokes-McCullum era. Speed was prioritised under the previous regime in building a squad for the Ashes in Australia, which led to Cook, who is a medium pacer, spending time on the sidelines.
Brydon Carse has also been selected as part of the pace group, having recovered from an injury which kept him out of the first part of the summer. Ollie Robinson has also kept his place despite missing the second two Tests of the series against New Zealand, having picked up an injury after his starring role in the first Test at Lord's.
England will begin their series against Pakistan at Headingley on August 19.
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