LONDON: England have recalled Dan Lawrence from two years of Test exile to face Pakistan, with the batsman penciled in to fill the middle-order vacancy created by the retirement of captain Ben Stokes.
National selector Marcus North, announcing a 16-man squad on Thursday, confirmed Lawrence would bat at number six, with Jordan Cox replacing the injured Jacob Bethell at number three.
Joe Root will captain the side in place of Stokes, with the first of a three-match series starting at Headingley on August 19.
England squad for the first two Tests:
Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (capt), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wkt), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir, Sam Cook, Matthew Fisher, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson
