England drop batter Lawrence for Pakistan tour

England has excluded batter Dan Lawrence from the squad for the upcoming tour of Pakistan, opting instead to include newcomers Jordan Cox and Brydon Carse in a 17-player lineup.

Captain Ben Stokes is set to return for the three Test matches in October after recovering from a hamstring injury that sidelined him during the 2-1 series victory over Sri Lanka.

Additionally, opener Zak Crawley is back in the squad after missing the previous series due to a broken finger.

With Crawley unavailable, Lawrence had the chance to open the batting, stepping away from his typical middle-order role.