England has announced their squad for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, with a surprising inclusion of Will Jacks. The Surrey all-rounder will serve as a backup spinner to Shoaib Bashir, as Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, and Liam Dawson were not selected.
A new vice-captain, Harry Brook, will take over from Ollie Pope as Ben Stokes’ deputy. This change puts pressure on Pope’s position at No.3, as Jacob Bethell is vying for a spot in the team.
Pope has led England five times in the absence of Stokes, and with Stokes prone to injuries, Brook will need to be prepared to step in if needed, having impressed in his role as the limited-overs captain.
Jacks previously played two Tests in Pakistan three years ago, where he took six wickets in a single innings and scored 89 runs.
The 16-man squad features a strong pace-bowling group, including the return of Durham’s Matthew Potts due to injuries to Chris Woakes and Jamie Overton’s retirement from Test cricket. Alongside Potts, speedsters like Mark Wood and Jofra Archer are included, with Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue also making the squad. England is expected to rotate their seamers, especially Wood and Archer, who have been dealing with various injuries.
Stokes, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, will support the pace bowlers throughout the five-match series. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett will open the batting, with Joe Root at No. 4, aiming to score his first century in Australia. Jamie Smith will continue as the wicketkeeper, having made a strong start to his Test career with an average of 48.86 in his first 15 matches, including two centuries.
The England Ashes squad comprises 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, and Mark Wood.