England begin post-Stokes era with call-ups for Lawrence, Cox and Pope against Pakistan

On paper, the answer to how England will replace Ben Stokes for the Test series against Pakistan appears to be to throw bodies at the problem and have options. A 16-strong squad has been selected for the first two Tests starting on 19 August, akin to a touring party and at risk of being bloated at home.

Although on announcing the squad on Thursday – a group that has Jordan Cox slated to bat at No 3, with Jacob Bethell missing the series due to a knee injury – the national selector Marcus North laid out the intended structure of the XI that will play under Joe Root when he dutifully returns to the captaincy.

The void left by Stokes will initially be filled by Dan Lawrence, who is back after two years on the sidelines and will bat at No 6 ahead of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Lawrence’s whirligig off-breaks, plus Root, will allow four frontline quicks to play at Headingley and Lord’s, two grounds where spin has a lesser role.

But while confirming this, North also gave a strong endorsement of Sam Curran as the intended seam-bowling all-rounder down the line. Post-Stokes, Curran or similar appears the only way that Shoaib Bashir – a spinner who offers precious little with the bat – can get into the XI on seam-friendly pitches at home.

Curran is battling fitness niggles, however, and is not likely to be up to speed until the third Test. In the meantime, Lawrence has the chance to show he is an improved player since the last of his 14 outings. He is a form pick too, as the second highest run-scorer in Division One with five hundreds. That said, like every player in England, his past six weeks have been a strict white-ball diet.

Cox, meanwhile, is something of a wildcard at No 3, even if he had spells opening for Kent before his move to Essex two years ago. Bethell’s knee problem, which has seen him out of action since the final one-day international against India last month, is clearly a serious one, even if North could not provide more details.

Rather than indecision, the enlarged squad chiefly comes down to its stable of seven fast bowlers and this reflects a fixture schedule that sees the series start just three days after the final of the men’s Hundred. While those featuring in the competition have been upping their workloads in the nets under instruction from the fast bowling coach Troy Cooley, England must wait to see who is Test-match ready.

Another potential curveball is Ollie Robinson and his partner awaiting the birth of their first child in “the next seven to 10 days”. Robinson took seven wickets in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s before sitting out of the remainder of the series. His cricket since amounts to three white-ball outings for Sussex.

North stressed that while the panel are always looking to the future – Cox at first-drop in his second Test outing is the rookie by way of caps – this was a squad selected for the here and now. After six defeats in their past eight Tests, England (and management) urgently need to get back to winning ways.

Not that this urgency sees Stephen Fleming start his new job as Test head coach straight away. Marcus Trescothick will perform the role against Pakistan amid reports that Fleming has approached Mike Hussey about becoming the team’s batting coach – the discipline Trescothick oversaw under Brendon McCullum.

But Fleming, North insisted, has been involved in “many lengthy conversations” leading into this selection and it would be “contradictory” not to reflect his vision for the side. This may not be outlined publicly until Fleming arrives in the UK next month, however, something one suspects Root wishes came sooner.

In terms of his teammates, there is a shortage of experience for Root to call on for advice during trickier moments on the field. Beyond Harry Brook, who was overlooked for the captaincy but is expected to be Root’s deputy, Ben Duckett is the only other seasoned consigliere north of 25 caps.

To that end, Ollie Pope returns as a reserve batter. Pope can cover most top-seven spots and keep wicket if Smith goes down injured on the morning of a game. But the recall also owes plenty to 64 caps, including five as a stand-in captain, and his knowledgable team-first outlook in the dressing room.

Beyond Fleming’s delayed arrival or the loss of Stokes, spin may well be Root’s biggest headache in the coming weeks. For all the investment in Bashir these past two years, it says plenty that England are intending to use two part-timers at the back end of what has been the driest summer in living memory.

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