England have confirmed a 16-player squad for the Ashes in Australia, which begins in Perth on 21 November 2025.
The squad will be led by Ben Stokes, who is currently recovering from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the final Test against India earlier this year. The 34-year-old was ruled out of the Oval Test due to a torn shoulder muscle and returned to training two weeks ago with his county side, Durham. He is, however, expected to be fit for the tour, which shapes up as England’s best opportunity for a series victory in 14 years.
Shoaib Bashir has also been cleared for selection after regaining fitness from a finger injury that he sustained at Lord’s, while Mark Wood has been deemed fit after missing the entirety of the India series due to a left knee injury.
Harry Brook named vice-captain
One of the main headlines from the squad is the announcement of Brook as the vice-captain. The white-ball skipper takes over the responsibility from Ollie Pope, who also led England at The Oval in Stokes’ absence.
Pope had been named the vice-captain of the Test team in May 2023 and has been called up as skipper whenever Stokes has not been around. He has led in five Tests, winning three, including the Multan Test when England notched up 823-7d against Pakistan.
Comebacks for Matthew Potts and Will Jacks
Potts has been brought back into the Test set-up, having last featured against New Zealand in December 2024. The seamer has played 10 Tests, picking up 26 wickets at 29.44, including best figures of 4-13. He is one of seven pacers in the squad, alongside Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Wood, Stokes, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson. Chris Woakes, who scored 64 runs and picked up 11 wickets in five Tests against India, has not been picked.
The surprise inclusion is that of Jacks, recalled for the first time in three years, having last featured in Pakistan in December 2022. In two Tests, he has scored 89 runs and picked up six wickets. Jacks is the second spinner in the side and will also be a back-up all-rounder for Stokes. He is currently recovering from a broken finger, but he is expected to be available for the Ashes.
England’s Ashes Test squad
| Batters | Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root |
| Wicketkeepers | Jamie Smith |
| All-rounders | Ben Stokes, Will Jacks |
| Spinners | Shoaib Bashir |
| Fast bowlers | Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood |
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