England have revealed their 16‑man Test squad for the upcoming Ashes tour in Australia. Harry Brook has been appointed vice‑captain, replacing Ollie Pope. Will Jacks has been named in the squad in a surprise pick, especially as a second spin option, ahead of Rehan Ahmed. Meanwhile, Pope, who has been Ben Stokes' regular vice-captain, having led the side previously on five occasions, has found himself been demoted. On the other hand, Brook's elevation to vice-captaincy comes on the back of a series of impressive performances as England's white-ball captain.
Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue are all in the squad and will bolster England's pace attack. Mark Wood, who is returning from knee surgery, has not featured for England since the Champions Trophy. Chris Woakes has not been included in the squad due to fitness issues. Ben Stokes, recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him out of England’s last Test vs India, is expected to be fit for the start of the Ashes.
England's Ashes squad: 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.