Uncapped seamer Brydon Carse has been included in England’s Test squad for the upcoming tour to Pakistan, while spinners Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed have been recalled to the side.
There is no place, though, for Dan Lawrence, who has been dropped following a poor series against Sri Lanka, with uncapped Essex batter Jordan Cox preferred.
Notably, Chris Woakes is included and in line to lead the attack, having not played a Test away from home since March 2022.
England have named an enlarged 17-man squad for the tour, in part because captain Ben Stokes and opening batter Zak Crawley are still recovering from the hamstring and finger injuries that ruled them out of the recent 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka.
An ECB statement said Crawley “is making significant progress in his recovery to earn selection” and that England have decided against picking a reverse opener suggests they are confident he will be fit.
Stokes, meanwhile, suggested in an interview last week that he is touch and go to be back in time for the first Test of the three-match series.
In Crawley’s absence against Sri Lanka, England gave Lawrence the chance to open after he had spent much of the past two years carrying drinks. Usually a middle-order player, though, the Surrey batter struggled and made a top score of 35 in six innings.
The 27-year-old had hoped his spin bowling would help his case for inclusion for the Pakistan tour, but England have instead backed Cox, who will make his international debut in Wednesday’s first T20 against Australia at Southampton.
Carse only returned from a three-month betting ban at the end of last month but was called straight back into the England white-ball set-up and could now make his Test debut in Pakistan.
With Mark Wood out for the rest of the year with an elbow stress fracture, James Anderson retired and Ollie Robinson out of favour, it is all change from the seam attack that excelled during England’s historic 3-0 victory in Pakistan two years ago.
Josh Hull, the 20-year-old left-armer, is kept on after making his debut in the Third Test against Sri Lanka, as are Olly Stone, Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson, who all featured in the home summer.
Woakes’ inclusion is significant. The 35-year-old was left out of last winter’s tour to India despite having been player of the series during the home Ashes and had suggested he could see out his career as a home specialist.
The Warwickshire seamer has a markedly better record on English soil than away from home, but reopened the door to touring last month and will be the senior man in the attack.
Leach, meanwhile, was injured during the First Test of that India tour and had not played for England since, having lost his berth as first-choice spinner to Somerset teammate Shoaib Bashir.
Ahmed also missed out on any involvement during the home summer, but toured India last winter and took a second-innings five-for when becoming the youngest man to play Test cricket for England on debut in Pakistan two years ago.
The series is due to start on October 7, with final venues to be confirmed later this week. There were initially suggestions part of the series may be moved to the United Arab Emirates because of stadium renovations ahead of next year's Champions Trophy but it is now expected that the entire series will take place in Pakistan.
