Harry Brook has been named vice-captain for this winter’s Ashes tour after England included the surprise pick of Will Jacks in a 16-man squad for the series in Australia.
Brook’s ascension to Ben Stokes’ deputy in place of Ollie Pope was widely expected after coach Brendon McCullum trailed the idea in a round of media interviews following the end of England’s home summer earlier this month.
Given Brook, 26, is his country’s white-ball captain, the move is no surprise.
Pope’s future
It does, though, put a question mark over Pope’s place in England’s XI for the series against Australia that starts in Perth on 21 November, with Jacob Bethell in contention to take over at No 3.
Jacks’ inclusion
The inclusion of Jacks as the second spinner in the squad ahead of Rehan Ahmed is a shock, especially since the Surrey all-rounder has not played Test cricket for almost three years.
Jacks has played just five County Championship matches over the past two summers, while Ahmed has starred as a batting all-rounder for Leicestershire this season, scoring five centuries from No3 in the order and taking 23 wickets at 19 to help his county romp to the Division Two title.
Jacks has not played Test cricket in three years (Photo: Reuters)
The selection of Jacks, whose last Test came against Pakistan in Multan in December 2022, becomes even stranger in light of the fact he is currently out with a fractured finger, although England say he is expected to make a full recovery in time for the Ashes.
Stokes, fast bowler Mark Wood and spinner Shoaib Bashir are all named in the 16 following injuries.
There is also strong depth in the fast-bowling department, with Wood named alongside Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Matt Potts.
This was always essential if England are to have any chance of winning their first Test series in Australia since 2010-11, even of there remain question marks over Wood’s fitness.
No Woakes
Chris Woakes was thought to be in with a chance of being named as a seventh frontline seamer in the squad but it is understood he was never considered after England learned he would not recover in time from the dislocated shoulder he sustained during the final Test of the summer against India at The Oval.
Eight of the Ashes squad will warm-up for Australia by being part of the white-ball tour of New Zealand next month, with Brook, Bethell, Root, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith, Archer and Carse in the squad for the three ODIs against the Black Caps.
While Archer, Duckett and Smith have been rested for the three T20s against New Zealand that start the tour, Test opener Zak Crawley has been called up for that series.
With England having just one solitary three-day warm-up match against the Lions on arrival in Australia in early November, it means the bulk of Crawley’s time in the middle before the Ashes will come in T20 cricket.
Rob Key, England’s managing director, will explain the thinking behind the Ashes squad and the unorthodox preparation for the biggest series of all in a media conference on Wednesday.
England Ashes squad in full
- Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain
- Jofra Archer (Sussex)
- Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
- Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
- Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
- Harry Brook (Yorkshire) – Vice-Captain
- Brydon Carse (Durham)
- Zak Crawley (Kent)
- Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
- Will Jacks (Surrey)
- Ollie Pope (Surrey)
- Matthew Potts (Durham)
- Joe Root (Yorkshire)
- Jamie Smith (Surrey)
- Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
- Mark Wood (Durham)