Alex Hales, Zafar Ansari and James Taylor are among the names that have been included in the England squad for the forthcoming Test series against Pakistan.

A 16-man party has been selected for the three-match series, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

Adam Lyth has been left out following his struggles with the bat in the recent Ashes series against Australia, which paves the way for uncapped Nottinghamshire man Hales to open the batting alongside captain Alastair Cook.

Surrey opener Ansari, who is also uncapped, has been included, while Notts man Taylor is back in the Test set-up following some impressive showings in the one-day series against the Australians.

Yorkshire spinner Adil Rashid has been selected along with Moeen Ali, while James Anderson also returns after missing the final two Ashes Tests with a side injury. Steven Finn, Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes are in, while Jos Buttler, Ian Bell and Jonny Bairstow also make the cut.

"The challenge we face against Pakistan will be very different and the composition of our squads reflects the conditions we expect to encounter in the UAE. Zafar Ansari's potential excites us and he will provide strong competition for Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the Test squad after enjoying an excellent domestic season with both bat and ball for Surrey," national selector James Whittaker told the ECB's official website.

"Alex Hales has scored heavily for Nottinghamshire in first-class cricket this season, has shown he can play match-winning innings for England in white ball cricket and fully deserves an opportunity to compete for a place at the top of the order in our Test side."

The first Test begins in Abu Dhabi on October 13.