England has announced their squad for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, surprising many by recalling Will Jacks. Jacks, a versatile player from Surrey, will serve as the backup spinner to Shoaib Bashir, as Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, and Liam Dawson were not selected.
In a notable change, Harry Brook, the white-ball captain, has been named the new vice-captain, replacing Ollie Pope as deputy to Ben Stokes. This move raises questions about Pope’s position at No.3, with Jacob Bethell also competing for the spot.
Pope has led the England team in five matches in Stokes’ absence, highlighting the importance of having Brook ready to step in if needed, given Stokes’ history of injuries. Brook has impressed in his role as the limited-overs captain.
Jacks, who last played Tests in Pakistan three years ago, had a notable performance with six wickets and 89 runs in a single innings. The 16-man squad includes a strong pace bowling lineup, with Durham’s Matthew Potts earning a recall due to injuries to Chris Woakes and Jamie Overton’s retirement from Test cricket.
Potts joins the pace attack alongside Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue. England plans to rotate their seam bowlers to manage workload and injury concerns, particularly with Wood and Archer.
Stokes, still recovering from a shoulder injury, will play a crucial role in supporting the team throughout the five-match series. The batting order will see Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett opening, with Joe Root at No.4 aiming to score his first century in Australia.
Behind the stumps, Jamie Smith will continue as the wicketkeeper after a strong start to his Test career, averaging 48.86 with two centuries in his first 15 matches.
The complete squad for the Ashes includes 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.