Captain Ben Stokes is set to return to the England Test team after sitting out the recent series win against Sri Lanka, according to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The ECB announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming tour of Pakistan in October on Tuesday. Stokes, who suffered a hamstring tear during The Hundred, England's domestic tournament, last month, is still recovering, as is Zak Crawley, who fractured his right little finger at Edgbaston in July. The England team will embark on a three-match series in Pakistan starting on October 7.
"Zak Crawley is back in the squad after missing out since the West Indies series in July. Captain Ben Stokes is also included as he continues his recovery from a hamstring tear," the ECB stated in a release. Rehan Ahmed, who made his red-ball debut in Karachi during the last Pakistan tour in December 2022, returns to the squad alongside Jack Leach, who will be playing for the first time since the opening Test in India in January this year. The 20-year-old Josh Hull, who debuted in the third Test against Sri Lanka on Friday, is also part of the squad, along with the uncapped pair of Brydon Carse and batter Jordan Cox.
England have brought back eight players from the 2022 squad - Rehan, Harry Brook, Crawley, Ben Duckett, Leach, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Stokes - who were part of the team that won the last Test series 3-0 against Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board is expected to reveal the venues for the series later this week. England men's 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.
