The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday named a 17-member Test squad for the upcoming three-match series against Pakistan in October as part of the World Test Championship.
Durham's Brydon Carse and Essex's Jordan Cox are the only uncapped players while spinners Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach return to the Test set-up.
Eight players from the squad – Rehan Ahmed, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Ben Stokes — return to Pakistan following the 3-0 Test series victory in 2022.
Rehan, who made his Test debut in Karachi during the last Pakistan tour in December 2022, will be aiming to add to his four Test caps.
Following his Test debut at The Oval this week, Leicestershire seamer Josh Hull is included in the squad for his first senior tour with England.
Kent opener Crawley returns to the squad after missing out since the West Indies series in July. The 26-year-old, who fractured his right little finger at Edgbaston in July, is making significant progress in his recovery to earn selection.
Stokes is also included as he continues his recovery from a hamstring tear that kept him out of the recent Test series victory against Sri Lanka.
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.
It must be noted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might announce a revamped schedule for the series in the coming days. Multan and Rawalpindi will host these games as confirmed by Chairman Mohsin Naqvi last week.