The ECB announces England’s 16-player squad for the upcoming Ashes tour, with a new vice-captain also being selected.
England have announced their 16-player squad for the upcoming Ashes series with Australia, including selecting a new vice-captain.
On the back of an exhilarating 2-2 series draw with India, England are now preparing for the latest chapter of their rivalry with their fierce rivals.
Ben Stokes, who is still recovering from the shoulder injury sustained earlier in the summer, will have Harry Brook as his right-hand man rather than Ollie Pope.
While Brook has been skipper for limited-overs matches of late, the change will be viewed as notable and puts Pope under increasing pressure when it comes to retaining his spot at number three.
The other major surprise is the inclusion of Will Jacks as the backup spinner to Shoaib Bashir, who has recovered from a broken finger.
Jack Leach and Rehan Ahmed had been deemed to be more likely selections than Jacks, who has only played two Tests which came back in 2022.
Jacob Bethell keeps his spot despite failing to impress in the final Test match versus India and he may be considered for the number-three role.
Mark Wood comes back into contention for a spot in the pace attack having not played a Test match for more than a year.
Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue are also named as expected, with Chris Woakes not considered due to a shoulder injury.
Perth will stage the first Test match, which begins on November 21.
England squad for Ashes tour
Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood
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