England opener Emilio Gay is receiving further treatment for a shoulder injury sustained during a One-Day Cup match, with the team hopeful he will be fit for the first Test against Pakistan on August 19. Gay, 27, retired hurt from a match between Durham and Middlesex on Friday and underwent a scan on Saturday.
He will be assessed at Beckenham, where Pakistan is scheduled to play a warm-up game against a Professional County Club Select XI. Gay will not participate in this fixture as he works with medical staff.
England's squad has already seen changes due to the retirement of former captain Ben Stokes and a knee injury to Jacob Bethell, who will miss the three-Test series. Jordan Cox has been selected to bat at number three in Bethell's absence, with Dan Lawrence moving to bat at six and contributing off-spin. These adjustments are England's initial attempts to balance the team without Stokes.
No additional batters have been called into the squad as cover for Gay. Ollie Pope, who is already in the 16-player group as a reserve batter and wicketkeeper, is a potential replacement, though he is not a specialist opener. Lawrence has previously opened in Test matches with limited success, and Cox has experience opening in first-class cricket.
Alternative options from outside the current squad could include a recall for Surrey's Dom Sibley or uncapped players Ben McKinney of Durham and Glamorgan's Asa Tribe.
Joe Root is set to captain England at his home ground in Headingley. Marcus Trescothick will serve as interim head coach for the Pakistan series, with Stephen Fleming slated to take over for the winter tour of South Africa. Fleming's arrival in the UK is expected in September, but it remains unclear if he will be in the country before the conclusion of the Pakistan series.