Surrey pair Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence have earned recalls to the England squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan.

The duo feature in a 16-man group ahead of the series opener at Headingley on Wednesday 19 August, though Jacob Bethell is ruled out of the entire series by injury and Jordan Cox steps up to number three.

This three-match series represents England's first Test action since captain Ben Stokes retired and head coach Brendon McCullum departed.

Joe Root leads the side for the first time since his reappointment in July, with Marcus Trescothick as interim head coach. Stephen Fleming, McCullum's successor, starts his role against South Africa in December.

England's 16-man squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.

Lawrence, whose most recent Test cap came in September 2024, benefits from strong domestic form. The 29-year-old ranks as the second-highest run-scorer in Division One of the County Championship, posting 788 runs at 65.66 with five centuries across 13 innings.

He is set to bat at six to fill the middle-order spot left by Stokes' retirement, though he offers a different skill set from the former captain.

Only Gus Atkinson (79 wickets) has claimed more Test wickets for England than Stokes (78) since June 2022. Lawrence, who bowls right-arm off-spin, has taken nine wickets from 178.2 overs in the County Championship this season.

Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed miss out despite earlier speculation they could fill Stokes' role.

"We have selected a squad for the first two Tests that balances rising talent with the experience needed against a quality Pakistan team," said England's men's national selector, Marcus North.

"Sam Curran is a player of real value and interest in terms of that role. He's had a heavy summer workload and he's been playing at the highest level with a number of niggles and we don't feel he's quite right at the moment for this Test squad.

"Rehan has done nothing wrong - he's someone we highly regard. At this stage we felt that going in with what we see as our best six batters with Smudge [Jamie Smith] at seven is key. That's why Lawrence has got the nod at six."

Former vice-captain Pope lost his number-three spot to Bethell for the final two Ashes Tests in Australia after a prolonged dip in form and was later omitted from the squad versus New Zealand.

Like Lawrence, he has impressed in the County Championship, scoring 510 runs at 56.66 with five 50-plus scores for Surrey, yet he will not automatically return to the XI with Bethell absent.

Bethell suffered a knee injury during the ODI series against India in July and will be replaced by Cox, who debuted in the Test against New Zealand at The Oval.

Essex seamer Sam Cook returns to the squad for the first time since last summer. The 29-year-old made his international debut against Zimbabwe in May 2025 and was named in the squad for the five-match series against India but did not play.

Brydon Carse returns after a broken wrist kept him out of the Indian Premier League and the early part of the Test summer, while England retain spinner Shoaib Bashir, who played in the first and third Tests against New Zealand after missing the Ashes.

North confirmed that new head coach Fleming contributed to the selection process even though he will not formally take charge until after the Pakistan series.

"Stephen Fleming was involved in a lot of discussions," said North. "I think that was really important.

"Certainly from my perspective, as soon as he got appointed, I reached out and we had long conversations. It was important that our selection reflects the strategy and thinking long term moving into the winter when Stephen takes over the team."

North was also asked about the chance of former captain Stokes reversing his international retirement.

"Ben made the decision to retire and it's great to see him playing well and enjoying his cricket at Durham," he said.

"But until he reverses that decision and does become available for selection my job is to look at the players that are, and make sure that we become a strong, competitive England cricket team and work our way up those Test world rankings."

'No brave new world for England'

Analysis by BBC cricket reporter Henry Moeran

Those hoping for a bold new direction may feel let down. This squad contains many familiar names and no potential debutants.

Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse return for the first time since the Ashes, while Dan Lawrence is chosen two years after his previous Test outing.

The main question concerned who would replace Ben Stokes as the all-rounder, yet the answer remains unclear.

Sam Curran, James Coles and Rehan Ahmed, who is omitted, all miss out, so Lawrence's occasional off-spin could play a notable part.

North stressed the depth available in English cricket despite the absence of new faces. Curran is expected to feature soon as the all-rounder vacancy is addressed.

As for Ollie Pope - dropped after a difficult Ashes - his inclusion provides leadership support and cover rather than a guaranteed starting place: an injury to a senior batter would leave the side short on experience.

Many have questioned whether Sam Cook has the pace for Test cricket, yet his red-ball ability is clear - 27 wickets for Essex this year in only six matches stands out.