On Tuesday, September 23, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) officially announced a strong 16-man squad for the upcoming Ashes series, which closed on 21 November.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Selection Committee has made some major decisions, with the appointment of Harry Brook as the vice-captain of a new test.
Harry Brook confirmed the new vice-captain, Oli Pope Xd
The England National cricket team will travel to Australia for a high-voltage test series against Pat Cummins & Co.. This is expected to be a highly challenging tour for three Lions, and for this, the selectors have chosen the best possible squad.
Harry Brook – White -Ball Captain – has also been handed over to Vice -Captainy in Test cricket, in which Oli Pope has been converted into role.
In particular, Oli Pope had long been serving as a test vice-captain, but his performance with the bat was quite low. With the Pope being removed from the role of leadership, his place in the playing XI may be in danger with Jacob Bethel, who is waiting in the wings.
In another major development, the express pacer Mark Wood has finally recovered from his knee injury and is ready to set it down. Along with him, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has also recovered from his finger injury and is fully fit to go.
Ben Stokes continued his recovery from shoulder injury – ECB
A player who is not fully recovered at this time is red-ball skipper Ben Stokes. However, he is expected to be available for the series opener against Australia.
The ECB said, “Test Captain Ben Stokes continued his recovery from a shoulder injury, which excluded him from the final test against India at Kia Oval and remained on the track to be available for the start of the Test series in November,” said the ECB.
Meanwhile, both Pacer Matthew Pots and Batting All-Nounder Will Jack have received recall for the high-profile test series. Will Jack will serve as the second spinner on the tour, with no place for Rehan Ahmed, Jack Litch or Liam Dawson.
In addition, veteran pace-bouling all-rounder Chris Woakes has not been considered for selection after disliked his shoulder during the Oval Test against the India National Cricket Team.
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England Test Squad for Ashes vs. Australia:
Ben Stokes (Captain), Joffra Archer, Gas Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethel, Harry Brooke (Vice-Capten), Bridon Cars, Zak Croly, Ben Docket, Will Jack, Oli Pope, Matthew Pots, Joe Root, Zemi Smith, Josh Town
Talking about the Ashes 2025-26 schedule, the team will take Lions of England in warm-up stability from 13 to 15 November at England Perth. After that, the series opener will be at the Optus Stadium in Perth from 21 to 25 November, followed by a second test at Gabba in Brisbane from December 4 to December 8.
Then, the third test at Adelaide Oval is scheduled between December 17 and 21, and the fourth test will be hosted by the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from 26 December to 30 December. The series will conclude in Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) from 4 to 8, 2026.
