England recalled Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence to a 16‑man squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan, set to start at Headingley on 19 August. Jacob Bethell is ruled out through injury; Jordan Cox is promoted to number three. Joe Root captains for the first time since July.

The series marks England's first Test outing since Ben Stokes retired and head coach Brendon McCullum was sacked. Marcus Trescothick acts as interim head coach, with Stephen Fleming slated to take over against South Africa in December.

Dan Lawrence earned his 14th Test cap in September 2024, rewarded for domestic form: 788 runs at 65.66, five centuries in 13 innings. He bowls right‑arm off‑spin, 9 wickets from 178.2 overs this season. Ollie Pope, former vice‑captain, scored 510 runs at 56.66 for Surrey.

Sam Cook returns after last summer, Brydon Carse back after a wrist injury, and Shoaib Bashir is retained. The squad contains familiar faces but no debutants, leaving the replacement for Stokes unclear. Bethell’s knee injury during the ODI series against India will be replaced by Cox.