England have recalled batters Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence for the first two Tests of their series against Pakistan, which begins at Headingley on Wednesday 19 August. However, Jacob Bethell will miss the entire series due to a knee injury, with Jordan Cox promoted to bat at number three in his absence. The series is significant as it marks England's first Test outing since Ben Stokes retired as captain and Brendon McCullum was sacked as head coach, with Joe Root now leading the side and Marcus Trescothick serving as interim coach.

Lawrence, uncapped since September 2024, earns his recall after scoring 788 runs at an average of 65.66 for Surrey this season, and will bat at six. Pope, dropped following poor form during the Ashes and against New Zealand, returns after scoring 510 runs at 56.66 for Surrey but is not guaranteed a starting place. The 16-man squad also sees the returns of Sam Cook and Brydon Carse, while Shoaib Bashir keeps his spot as the frontline spinner; no uncapped players have been included.