The Ashes The Ashes: ECB announces 12-member squad for first Test, Anderson to miss the opener
Brisbane/UNI: The England Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a 12-member squad for the first The Ashes Test against Australia, scheduled to start at The Gabba here on Wednesday.
The final playing XI will be confirmed at the time of the toss.
Veteran English pacer James Anderson will miss the Ashes opener, as the board decided to give him rest as part of their workload management and to have him prepare for the pink ball day-night Test in Adelaide next week, while Chris Woakes will likely replace the star right-arm pacer.
Ollie Pope got a spot in the middle order ahead of Jonny Bairstow.
However, English all-rounder Ben Stokes will mark his return after a four-month break from cricket due to mental health.
England Squad: Joe Root (c), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
