Uncapped pair Brydon Carse and Jordan Cox are both included in England’s 17-player squad for the upcoming Test tour of Pakistan.
Durham fast bowler Carse has already made 14 ODI and three T20I appearances for England, while Essex batter Cox will make his T20I debut for the team against Australia on Wednesday.
Along with the newcomers, there are recalls for spinners Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach, who featured in the 3-0 Test series win away to Pakistan two years ago. Seamer Josh Hull will be part of the squad too on the back of making his Test debut in this week’s eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka at The Oval.
Captain Ben Stokes and opening batter Zak Crawley are both included as well as they continue their recovery from their respective injuries.
Carse’s inclusion in the squad to tour Pakistan follows his return to the white-ball set-up for this month’s home series against Australia, having been banned from May 28 to August 28 after being found guilty of historic betting violations.
The 29-year-old South Africa-born seamer, whose father James played county cricket for Northamptonshire, has taken 147 wickets in 48 first-class appearances at an average of 33.80.
Cox, meanwhile, is sixth on the list of leading run-scorers in Division One of the LV= County Championship in 2024, scoring 918 at an average of 65.57.
Jordan Cox is in England’s squad for the Test tour of Pakistan
The return of Leicestershire leg-break bowler Ahmed and Leach, who has seen Somerset team-mate Shoaib Bashir overtake him as England’s first-choice spinner, gives Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum plenty of slow-bowling options on the flatter Pakistani wickets.
Ahmed starred on debut in the eight-wicket win over Pakistan in Karachi which wrapped up the series sweep in 2022, including taking 5-48 in the hosts’ second innings, and featured in three Tests during the tour of India in January and February of this year.
He is among eight members of that squad who are included this time around, as is seamer Chris Woakes after an impressive summer at home leading the bowling attack following James Anderson’s retirement.
Stokes’ return comes after being sidelined for the 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka with a hamstring strain, with Ollie Pope skippering the team in his absence, while Crawley replaces Dan Lawrence at the top of the order after missing those three matches with a broken finger.
England’s tour of Pakistan commences with the first Test on Thursday, October 7.
England squad to tour Pakistan
Ben Stokes (Durham, captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jordan Cox (Essex), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Olly Stone (Nottinghamshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).
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