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Ollie Pope dines out on Test recall

"One thing I never wanted to happen was to be written off before I was 30," reinstated batter reveals

England have announced their 16-member squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan, marking the start of a new era under captain Joe Root and interim head coach Marcus Trescothick. This comes after 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 returned to the Test side, with Jordan Cox expected to bat at No. 3 following Jacob Bethell's injury.

The first Test begins at Headingley on August 19. England will be without a genuine all-rounder following Stokes' retirement, with Shoaib Bashir as their main spin option. Lawrence's recall is driven by his batting abilities and off-spin, allowing England to field four frontline fast bowlers.

Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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