England have recalled Surrey pair Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence for the first two Tests against Pakistan, naming a 16-man squad that marks the team's first outing since Ben Stokes retired from international cricket and head coach Brendon McCullum was dismissed.

The three-match series opens at Headingley on Wednesday 19 August, with Joe Root captaining the side for the first time since being reappointed to the role in July. Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach, with New Zealander Stephen Fleming due to begin his tenure as permanent head coach against South Africa in December BBC Sport.

Jacob Bethell, who had replaced Pope at number three — the position at the top of the batting order, facing the new ball in the first over — for the final two Ashes Tests in Australia, will miss the entire Pakistan series through injury. Bethell suffered a knee injury during the ODI series against India in July and has not recovered in time. Jordan Cox steps in at number three in his place, having made his Test debut against New Zealand at the Oval.

For Pope, the recall caps a steady county season. He was dropped from the squad for the New Zealand series after losing his spot in Australia, but returns on the strength of 510 runs at an average of 56.66 for Surrey in the County Championship, England's first-class domestic competition. Five of his innings passed fifty.

Lawrence's case is even more striking. The 27-year-old earned the last of his 14 Test caps in September 2024 but has been the second-highest run-scorer in Division One of the County Championship: 788 runs at 65.66, including five centuries in 13 innings. He is slated to bat at six, the middle-order slot vacated by Stokes' retirement, and offers a handy second string with his right-arm off-spin — nine wickets from 178.2 overs this season.

Stokes' absence leaves a sizeable hole. Only Gus Atkinson, with 79, has taken more Test wickets for England than Stokes' 78 since the start of June 2022. Replacing that output with the ball, as well as the competitive fire Stokes brought as captain, is a task spread across the squad rather than handed to one player.

The bowling stocks have been boosted by two returning names. Bryndon Carse is back after a broken wrist ruled him out of the Indian Premier League and the start of the Test summer. Sam Cook, who made his international debut against Zimbabwe in May 2025, returns to the squad for the first time since last summer after being named against India earlier this season without featuring.

The full squad reads: Joe Root (captain), 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 and Josh Tongue.

For fans, this series is less about a single narrative and more about a team finding its shape after two huge departures. Root, back as captain, carries the weight of transition. Trescothick holds the bridge until Fleming arrives. And players like Lawrence and Pope — both given fresh chances on the back of weight of runs — have the opportunity to make vacancies permanent.