England announce 17-man squad for Pakistan Test series; Stokes and Crawley return from injuriesÂ
Ben Stokes has recovered from his injury to lead the England side in the upcoming tour of Pakistan. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named a 17-man contingent to partake in the three-match Test series as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Along with Stokes, opening batter Zak Crawley has also returned to the fold after missing the Test series against Sri Lanka due to a finger injury. His return has meant that makeshift opener Dan Lawrence has been dropped from the squad, despite his part-time spin bowling appeal.
With the tour taking place in the subcontinent, the spotlight will be on spin bowling, and England have bolstered the department with some additions. New spearhead Shoaib Bashir will be assisted by veteran Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed. The latter had made his debut in Pakistan a couple of years back.
Despite his strong showing in India, left-arm spinner Tom Hartley was not considered for the Pakistan tour. The Lancashire spinner was England's leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps during the 1-4 series loss.
The squad also features two uncapped players in the form of Jordan Cox and Brydon Carse.
Carse is the latest addition to the transitioning seam bowling department. With Mark Wood ruled out for the rest of the year due to a stress fracture in his elbow, the department will be led by Chris Woakes. The other seamers in the squad apart from Carse and Woakes include Josh Hull, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, and Olly Stone.
If Stokes intends to play as an all-rounder on the tour, it gives England seven genuine pace bowling options in the squad, a rarity in subcontinent conditions.
England squad for Test series against Pakistan
Ben Stokes, 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, and Chris Woakes.
Lack of clarity regarding venues for England vs Pakistan Tests due to renovation work
With the major venues in Pakistan undergoing construction ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy, the official set of venues for the Tests is yet to be decided. An earlier report suggested that the three-match affair might be shifted to the UAE or Sri Lanka. However, the latest development suggests that Pakistan might be able to host all matches on their own soil somehow.
The Men in Green are currently in a major rut following a whitewash at home against Bangladesh. Despite a loss against Sri Lanka in the third Test, England come on the back of a dominant home season and are on the ascendancy in the World Test Championship points table.
Pakistan suffered a humiliating 0-3 whitewash against Ben Stokes and company in 2022, and will be hoping to avoid a repeat at any cost.