England has announced their squad for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, with a surprise inclusion of Will Jacks. Jacks, a versatile player from Surrey, will serve as the backup spinner to Shoaib Bashir, while Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, and Liam Dawson have not been selected.
The team has also appointed a new vice-captain, Harry Brook, who will take over from Ollie Pope as the deputy to Ben Stokes. This decision has raised questions about Pope’s position at No.3, with Jacob Bethell competing for a place in the team.
Pope has led the England team in five matches in the absence of Stokes. Given Stokes’ history of injuries, Brook will need to be prepared to fill in if needed, having shown promise in his role as the limited-overs captain.
Jacks, who last played Test matches in Pakistan three years ago, impressed with six wickets in a single innings and 89 runs. The squad of 16 players includes a strong pace-bowling lineup, with the addition of Matthew Potts from Durham due to injuries to Chris Woakes and Jamie Overton’s retirement from Test cricket.
The pace attack will be supported by Stokes, who is recovering from a shoulder injury. 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 after a successful start to his Test career, averaging 48.86 in his first 15 matches, including two centuries.
The complete 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.