The England and Wales Cricket Board has announced the team squad for the upcoming away Test series against Pakistan. Test skipper Ben Stokes and batter Zak Crawley, both of who missed the Test series against Sri Lanka due to their respective injuries, return for the three-match contest against the Men in Green.
Stokes missed the Sri Lanka series due to his injury in The Hundred, while Crawley was out of action after injuring his finger during the Three Lions' 10-wicket win over West Indies in the third and final test of the series.
Brydon Carse is also picked in the 17-member squad, weeks after serving a ban for betting irregularities. The bowling all-rounder has played both the white-ball formats but is uncapped in Tests. Spinners Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed have been recalled for the subcontinent conditions. Both Leach and Rehan last played a Test in India earlier in the year.
Carse is in the six-man pace-line attack also featuring the 6ft 7in tall Josh Hull, who played one Test against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded series. Carse was suspended in May from all forms of cricket for 16 months (13 months). He was permitted to train during his ban before returning to action County Championship, where he struck a century against Somerset. He is known for bowling 90mph thunderbolts.
Mark Wood is not in the team after being ruled out for the remainder of 2024 due to an elbow injury. Chris Woakes has been recalled in the team.
Meanwhile, Tom Hartley, who impressed in the India series earlier in the year, has not been picked. Rehan, Leach and Shoaib Bashir are the spin trios for the Pakistan tour. Hartley picked a seven-wicket haul in England's only win in the five-match series against India.
England's Test squad for Pakistan series:
Ben Stokes (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
