England recall Cook, Ollie Pope for Pakistan Tests; Joe Root to lead
Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence and Sam Cook have all returned to the Test squad, while Jordan Cox is also back and is expected to bat at No. 3, according to The Guardian. Cox gets the opportunity after Jacob Bethell was ruled out of the series with an injury.
England have announced a 16-man squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan, a series that starts later this month as part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle. This marks a new chapter for England following the retirement of Ben Stokes and the departure of head coach Brendon McCullum. The squad includes Ollie Pope, Dan Lawrence, and Sam Cook, who have all rejoined the Test team.
Jordan Cox is also back in the squad, expected to bat at No. 3, following the injury to Jacob Bethell. England enters the series after a loss to New Zealand and will now play under captain Joe Root, who was reappointed in July, and interim head coach Marcus Trescothick. Fleming, who replaced McCullum, will take on the role from the Test series against South Africa in December.
The first Test is scheduled for August 19 at Headingley. Root will lead the team for the first time since returning to the captaincy, and one of the key decisions will be how to manage the side without a genuine all-rounder, following Stokes' retirement. Shoib Bashir is England's primary spin option, with Sam Cook set to bat at No. 6. His presence allows England to field four fast bowlers at Headingley.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
