Jacob Bethell ruled out of England's Pakistan Test series through injury

[NorthernKernel]

England have named their squad for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan, and Jacob Bethell will miss the entire three match series through injury while Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse both return to the fold for the first time since last winters difficult Ashes tour of Australia

Bethell sustained a knee injury during Englands ODI series against India in July, which also forced him out of The Hundred, Essex wicketkeeper Jordan Cox will replace him at number three, having already made his Test debut earlier this summer, England national selector Marcus North described Cox as well regarded as one of the most exciting talents in English cricket

Dan Lawrence has also been recalled after two years away from the side and is set to enter the starting eleven at number six, rewarded for a strong start to the County Championship season, his offspin bowling is likely to see him effectively fill the allrounder role left vacant by Ben Stokes international retirement, with Rehan Ahmed overlooked for that spot

This series marks a genuine changing of the guard for English cricket, Joe Root has been reinstalled as captain following Stokes retirement from international cricket, and the whole squad is preparing to return to action after a series defeat to New Zealand plus the departures of both head coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes as captain, new head coach Stephen Fleming wont actually take charge until after this Pakistan series concludes, so this is genuinely a transitional squad finding its footing under interim circumstances

Pope, formerly vice captain under Stokes, was dropped following Englands third Ashes Test against Australia after averaging just 20.83 runs across those three matches, while Carse returns after wrist and elbow injuries ruled him out of the start of the domestic summer, both represent genuine second chances for players looking to reestablish themselves under the post Stokes regime

The three match series begins at Headingley on August 19th, live on Sky Sports Cricket, followed by Lords from August 27th and Edgbaston starting September 9th, giving this new look England side a proper opportunity to set a tone before the bigger Stephen Fleming era officially begins

Jacob Bethell to miss England's Test series against Pakistan as Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse recalled for first time since Asheswww.skysports.com

[Andrew4]

Losing Bethell to injury right as this transitional post Stokes era begins is genuinely unfortunate timing, hes exactly the kind of young talent this rebuilding squad needs long term even if Cox is a perfectly reasonable replacement

[Sienna89]

Dan Lawrence getting recalled after two years away on the back of a strong County Championship season is a nice reminder that domestic form still genuinely matters for selection, not every recall comes from white ball performances or reputation alone

[Cass]

Pope averaging just 20.83 across those three Ashes Tests is a genuinely rough return that explains the drop, but giving him another chance now as vice captain material shows England still rate his overall game highly despite that one difficult series

[ProperWolf]

The new head coach not taking over until after this series is a strange transitional setup, feels like this Pakistan series is going to be judged as much on how the team copes without settled coaching leadership as on the actual cricket itself

[AlwaysReadyAaron76]

Would be curious to see how this genuinely reshuffled squad performs against a Pakistan side that also has its own selection questions, transitional periods for both teams could make for an unpredictable series rather than a clear form guide favorite

[EthanHinds]

Carse coming back after wrist and elbow issues kept him out of the early domestic summer is a good sign for Englands bowling depth if hes actually fully fit, injury prone quick bowlers returning always come with some genuine risk attached though

[Oscar_75]

This really does read as a squad in transition trying to find its identity, new captain returning for round two, new head coach waiting in the wings, key young talent missing through injury, and multiple recalls of players looking to prove themselves again