England's post-Stokes era starts with Pakistan test

England's Test summer enters a new phase when they face Pakistan at Headingley, with the first Test marking the beginning of life after Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. Stokes' retirement brings an end to an era that transformed England's approach to Test cricket, while McCullum's departure means a new coaching regime is also waiting in the wings. Joe Root, meanwhile, begins his second stint as full-time captain, three years after stepping down from the role, with Marcus Trescothick taking interim charge until Stephen Fleming assumes the head coach's role later this year.

For all the talk of transition, England desperately need a series win. Their last success in a multi-Test series came against New Zealand in November-December 2024, and their record since has been underwhelming. They drew 2-2 at home against India last summer, endured a 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia and then lost 2-1 to New Zealand at home earlier this year, a series that ultimately brought Stokes' Test career to a close.

Pakistan, meanwhile, arrive with a change of their own at the top. Babar Azam is back as Test captain after Shan Masood's tenure ended with 12 defeats in 16 Tests. Masood's side suffered a series of heavy setbacks, including whitewashes in Australia and South Africa and another against Bangladesh, before Pakistan finally halted an eight-match winless run in away Tests by beating West Indies in the second Test of their recent series.

But Babar won't be available for the first Test, having sustained an injury to his right hand during the three-day warm-up match against Professional County Club Select XI. Having retired hurt after scoring 5 in the first innings, he did not take part in the remainder of the game as a "precautionary measure". However, he hasn't recovered in time for the second game, with coach Sarfaraz Ahmed confirming that Salman Agha will lead the team at Leeds.

For England, Headingley presents an opportunity to make the post-Stokes era begin with a statement. Root's return to the captaincy will be watched closely, but his biggest responsibility will be to ensure England's batting has enough substance around Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and himself. Pakistan, with a new captain, several new faces and their own questions over personnel, will look to exploit any uncertainty. It's a Test where both sides are attempting to move beyond difficult recent chapters, evidenced by their WTC standings with England at seventh and Pakistan eighth.

When: 1st Test, August 19-23, 11:00 AM Local (3:30 PM IST)

Where: Leeds, Headingley

What to expect: Leeds last hosted the England-India Test match in June 2025, with England chasing down a target of 371 in a high-scoring game. In this season's County Championship, there has been one high-scoring draw - Yorkshire vs Sussex - while Yorkshire fell well short in a chase of 426 against Hampshire, and later won by an innings against Surrey after posting a first innings total of 486. Rain is forecast for the first couple of days, with Day 2 likely to see more interruptions.

Team news:

England: Jacob Bethell's knee injury, sustained during the ODI series against India last month, rules him out of the Pakistan series and opens the door for Jordan Cox to move up to No. 3. Dan Lawrence returns to the side for the first time in two years after a prolific County season with Surrey and is expected to bat at No. 6, pushing Jamie Smith down one place. Ollie Pope and Brydon Carse are also back after being left out following the Ashes, while Sam Cook earns another opportunity after making his Test debut against Zimbabwe last year. Emilio Gay had suffered a shoulder injury during the One Day Cup but he featured in the warm-up game against Pakistan, although he bagged a pair.

Probable XI: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, Joe Root (c), Harry Brook, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Smith (wk), Ollie Robinson / Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue

Pakistan: Masood's availability remains in doubt for the Leeds Test as he recovers from an injured index finger on his left hand, sustained during the first Test against West Indies. His replacement for the second Test - Abdullah Shafique - gave a good account of himself with an unbeaten 160 in the first innings while Mohammad Abbas should return for the Headingley game, having missed out from a spin-heavy Pakistan XI in Port of Spain.

Probable XI: Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Salman Agha (c), Saud Shakeel, Awais Zafar, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali

Did you know?

- Of the 28 Tests played in England since 2022, only two have ended in draws (both at Old Trafford - Ashes 2023 and India tour 2025

- England scored at 4.4 runs per over in 44 Tests under Ben Stokes, the highest for any team under a captain to have led in at least 10 matches

- Pakistan's three Test series wins in England came on three consecutive tours - in 1987, 1992 and 1996 respectively. In six series in the country since (all since 2001), England have won three while three ended in draws

What they said:

"I don't think there's a huge amount we need to change. It's small things that will make a big difference. It's not about ripping it up, I think it's about keeping a lot of the good stuff we've been doing for a period of time, stuff that Ben and Baz built for a long while. I don't believe there is one way of playing Test cricket. You've got to be adaptable and play the situation. It's never the same throughout five days, there's different challenges and you've got to adjust to the ebbs and flows throughout" - Joe Root, England Test captain, on whether the team will stick to the Bazball approach.

Click here to read article