Bethell to miss Pakistan series through injury

Jacob Bethell will miss the upcoming Test Series against Pakistan with the knee injury which ruled him out of Birmingham Phoenix’s The Hundred campaign.

2026-08-06T10:00+01:00

Jacob Bethell will miss England Men's upcoming Rothesay Test series against Pakistan after the knee injury that also ruled him out of Birmingham Phoenix's The Hundred campaign, with Jordan Cox replacing him in a 16-player squad named for the opening two Tests.

Bethell sustained the right knee injury during last month's Metro Bank ODI series against India and will be sidelined for the entirety of the Rothesay Test series against Pakistan.

Cox, who made his Test debut against New Zealand at the Kia Oval earlier this summer, is set to bat at No. 3 in Bethell's absence, while Dan Lawrence returns to the Test squad for the first time since his most recent appearance against Sri Lanka two years ago.

Lawrence, the second-leading runscorer in Division One of this season's Rothesay County Championship, is set to bat at No. 6 after earning a recall following an outstanding domestic campaign with Surrey.

England have named a 16-player squad for the opening two Tests of the series, which begins at Headingley on Wednesday 19 August.

England Men's squad for the opening two Rothesay Tests against Pakistan:

Joe Root (Yorkshire, captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Shoaib Bashir (Derbyshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Sam Cook (Essex), Jordan Cox (Essex), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Matthew Fisher (Surrey), Emilio Gay (Durham), Dan Lawrence (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).

Sam Cook is also included after making his Test debut against Zimbabwe last summer, while Brydon Carse and Ollie Pope return to the squad for the first time since last winter's Ashes series in Australia.

The Headingley Test will also mark Joe Root's first as permanent England Men's Test captain since 2022, leading the side in front of his home crowd.

England Men's National Selector Marcus North said: "We have selected a squad for the first two Tests that balances rising talent with the experience needed against a quality Pakistan team.

"Dan Lawrence returns following an exceptional season so far with Surrey and we believe he has the right level of experience, maturity and skill to complement our middle order.

"Jordan Cox is well regarded as one of the most exciting talents in English cricket and will have the opportunity to bat at three in place of Jacob Bethell, who sadly misses this series through injury."

Following the opening two Tests, the Rothesay Test series concludes at Edgbaston in September. Tickets for the series are available to purchase here, with purchasers also receiving an exclusive priority window to buy tickets for next year's Ashes series.