Dan Lawrence Excluded, New Faces for Pakistan Tour

Dan Lawrence has been dropped from England’s squad for the upcoming tour of Pakistan. The team has replaced him with uncapped players Jordan Cox and Brydon Carse in a 17-man squad. Captain Ben Stokes will return for the series in October. He missed the 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury. Opener Zak Crawley will also return after sidelining with a broken finger during the same series.

Dan Lawrence, who had filled in as an opener due to Crawley’s absence, struggled with the bat, managing only a highest score of 35 in six innings. His performance did not meet expectations, leading to his exclusion. Cox, a 23-year-old from Essex, had remained an unused squad member during the Sri Lanka series but will now provide batting and wicketkeeping cover.

He will make his T20 international debut against Australia. Carse, a 29-year-old Durham pace bowler, has played 14 one-day internationals and three T20s. He will return after a suspension for historical gambling offenses. The squad includes Ben Stokes as captain, along with Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson and Shoaib Bashir.

Other members are Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes. Leach, who lost his spot to Bashir remains in the squad alongside Ahmed. Despite playing all five Tests in India earlier this year, Tom Hartley did not make the cut.

The team includes six frontline seamers with Josh Hull joining the squad after debuting against Sri Lanka. Chris Woakes will tour for the first time since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum’s appointment. Mark Wood will miss the tour due to an elbow injury. England face venue concerns with potential changes to the schedule due to ongoing construction in Karachi.

The series might shift partially or fully to the UAE with two Tests likely to take place in Rawalpindi. England secured a 3-0 victory on their last visit to Pakistan in 2022.