The England and Wales Cricket Board have announced a strong 16-member English squad that will travel down under in November to compete in the Ashes 2025/26.
Ben Stokes is all set to lead the Test team in Australia, while Harry Brook has replaced Ollie Pope as the team's vice-captain in the red-ball format.
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This will be England's first Test tour since their 2-2 draw against India on home soil in the summer. The English were held to a draw by a resilient Indian side, who scripted a dramatic win in the final Test.
England squad for Ashes 2025/26 announced: Harry Brook named as Ben Stokes' deputy
Stokes, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury that had ruled him out of the final Test against India, has been named in the 16-man squad, while Brook has been named as his deputy, replacing Ollie Pope.
Brook had an impressive outing in the India series and was named by Gautam Gambhir as England's Player of the Series.
Paceman Wood has returned to the squad after recovering from a left-knee injury, while Shoaib Bashir is back in the team after the spinner suffered a finger injury during the India series.
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England squad for Ashes 2025/26:
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, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.