(Reuters) -England have included pace bowler Mark Wood in a 12-player squad announced on Wednesday for the first Ashes test against Australia.
Wood, cleared of a hamstring injury last week, returns to test action after more than a year, having last played in August 2024.
The 35-year-old, who was one of England’s standout bowlers in the 2021-22 series when he claimed 17 wickets, will be part of a potent pace attack also featuring Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson and Ben Stokes.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir is also in the squad despite recent struggles, having recorded combined figures of 2-151 from 24 overs in a pre-Ashes warm-up match.
Ollie Pope has secured the number three batting spot ahead of Jacob Bethell after his century and a 90 in the warm-up fixture against England Lions.
England have not won a first Ashes test in Australia in nearly 40 years, nor beaten the hosts in Perth since 1978. But with Australia missing front-line quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, they are eyeing a golden opportunity heading into Friday’s Ashes opener to strike the first blow in the five-test series.
ENGLAND SQUAD
Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Mark Wood.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Alex Richardson)
