ECB Announces 17-Player Squad for England's Test Tour of Pakistan

The ECB has named a 17-player squad for England's upcoming Test tour of Pakistan in October. Highlights include the return of spinner Jack Leach, captain Ben Stokes recovering from injury, and the inclusion of uncapped players Brydon Carse and Jordan Cox.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has unveiled a 17-player roster for their Test tour of Pakistan scheduled for October. Notable inclusions are uncapped Durham player Brydon Carse and Essex's Jordan Cox. Veteran spinner Jack Leach also makes a comeback, having last played during England's tour of India earlier this year. Test captain Ben Stokes, who missed the home Test series against Sri Lanka due to a hamstring injury, is also back in the squad.

Carse is one of six fast bowlers named, alongside left-armer Josh Hull, who earned his maiden Test cap during England's third Test against Sri Lanka. In his debut, Hull managed to take three wickets at the Kia Oval. Carse's selection follows an elbow injury sustained by England's fastest bowler, Mark Wood. Interestingly, Carse was suspended from cricket for 16 months in May after making 303 bets on cricket matches, but he returned to action on August 29 and scored a century for Durham against Somerset at Taunton. Chris Woakes has also been called up for his first overseas assignment since the Caribbean tour in March 2022.

In the spin department, Jack Leach will be partnering with Shoaib Bashir and legspinner Rehan Ahmed, who made a notable Test debut against Pakistan in Karachi last year. On the batting front, Dan Lawrence has been dropped due to poor performance in the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, managing only 120 runs at an average of 20 over six innings. Zak Crawley, who broke his right little finger, has returned to replace Lawrence. The Test series kicks off on October 7 in Multan, with subsequent matches on October 15 in Karachi and October 24 in Rawalpindi.

The England Test squad to tour Pakistan includes: Ben Stokes (captain), 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. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)