London (AFP) – England selector Marcus North said he would not get "hung up" on the retirement of captain and talisman Ben Stokes as the team prepare for their first series since the end of the "Bazball" era.
Issued on: 06/08/2026 - 15:46
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North, announcing a 16-man squad for the first two Tests against Pakistan on Thursday, confirmed Surrey's Dan Lawrence would bat at number six, effectively replacing all-rounder Stokes in the middle order. Jordan Cox will bat at three in the first Test on August 19 in the absence of the injured Jacob Bethell.Former vice-captain Ollie Pope and paceman Brydon Carse have also been recalled to the squad.The three-match series comes just weeks after the retirement of Stokes and the sacking of head coach Brendon McCullum, who teamed up in 2022, launching an ultra-attacking brand of cricket.McCullum was fired from the Test role last month following England's 2-1 series defeat by New Zealand but remains the white-ball boss.Joe Root will captain the side after being reappointed to the role, with Marcus Trescothick serving as interim head coach. McCullum's replacement, fellow New Zealander Stephen Fleming, will start his tenure as head coach against South Africa in December.North, previously director of cricket at county side Durham, where Stokes plays, praised the former skipper, who this week ruled out any chance that he would rethink his decision to quit international cricket."We've been very fortunate to have someone like Ben as a world-class all-rounder in our set-up," said the Australian. "I think it would be very easy to get hung up on the fact that we've lost Ben. He's made that decision to retire, and like I said, it gives us an opportunity to look at some different structures."Best battersNorth said in-form Lawrence, who has not played Test cricket for two years, would be part of a powerful middle order including Harry Brook and Jamie Smith."We feel he's an advanced, better player than he was when he last played for England," he said."We feel that going into these first two Test matches with our six best batters available shows some conviction and strength around the way we want to play and to score heavily."
