Ben Stokes is set to lead England in their upcoming three-Test series against Pakistan next month, while Brydon Carse is on the brink of making his Test debut, just weeks after serving a ban for betting rule breaches.
Stokes returns to captain the side after recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him during the home series against Sri Lanka, which England won 2-1. Opener Zak Crawley has also been included in the squad announced on Tuesday after missing the previous series due to a broken finger.
Bowling all-rounder Carse, who resumed playing in late August following a three-month suspension for historical betting violations, stands to benefit from an elbow injury to his Durham teammate and fellow fast bowler Mark Wood.
The 29-year-old, born in South Africa, has previously represented England in 17 white-ball internationals and joins a 17-member squad that also features Jordan Cox, another player yet to earn a Test cap.
The tour is set to kick off on October 7 in Multan, with additional matches planned in Karachi and Rawalpindi. However, renovations for next year's Champions Trophy may lead to one or more of these matches being relocated to the UAE or Sri Lanka.
Dan Lawrence, who filled in as an opener against Sri Lanka due to Crawley’s absence, has been dropped from the squad. Young left-arm fast bowler Josh Hull has been retained, while Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed, both of whom played significant roles in England's historic 3-0 series victory over Pakistan in 2022, have been recalled. Leach, who lost his position as England's leading spinner to Shoaib Bashir this season, joins Leicestershire's Ahmed to support Stokes’s primary slow bowling lineup.
England Test squad: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.