Joe Root to lead 17-man England squad for Ashes series in Australia

England have named a 17-man squad for this winter’s Ashes tour, with head coach Chris Silverwood leaning on familiar faces for the trip Down Under.

Silverwood and captain Joe Root are unable to call on a full-strength group due to the continued hiatus of star all-rounder Ben Stokes and injuries to Jofra Archer, Olly Stone and Sam Curran but fears over players opting out due to concerns over Australia’s travel restrictions have not materialised.

Following successful discussions with Cricket Australia over arrangements for families and quarantine there have been no opt-outs.

As such the squad has a tried and trusted feel, with no uncapped Test players selected. That means potential ‘wildcard’ picks such as Lancashire trio Liam Livingstone, Matt Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood have all been overlooked but they can expect to form part of the Lions squad which will shadow the early stages of the tour and could yet be called upon.

While Stokes’ absence has long been expected – he has already missed the India Test series, the resumption of the Indian Premier League and the T20 World Cup as he prioritises his mental health and recovery from a finger injury – fellow all-rounder Curran was a late withdrawal.

Curran’s bowling may not have been perfectly suited to Australian conditions, he could have offered balance and variety to the side in Stokes’ absence. However, the lower back injury which forced him out of the World Cup squad has now been diagnosed as a stress fracture requiring specialist treatment.

Announcing the squad, Silverwood said: “A tour of Australia is the pinnacle as an England Test cricketer. I am delighted that all of our available players have committed to the tour. We are looking forward to touring and enjoying the experience of this historic series.

“This is why we play and coach, to be involved in iconic series like this. More than half of our squad haven’t featured in an Ashes tour before, which means we will be fresh and looking to embrace the cricket and the excitement of touring one of the best places in the world.

“I believe we have selected a well-balanced squad with options in all areas and a blend of youth and experience. There is real competition for places and a genuine desire to work hard and compete, aiming to create some history.
“We are under no illusions about how difficult the task is going to be.

“Australia have been strong at home in the past, and there is an expectation on them to win this series. However, from our point of view, there is genuine excitement and belief that we can do something special.

With Archer and Stone both sidelined, Mark Wood is the only express pace option in the seam ranks, which are led once again by the vastly experienced James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

While they, and perhaps Chris Woakes, may be making their Ashes swansong, Sussex’s Ollie Robinson is set for his first series against the old rivals and could find himself in a crucial role following his triumphant start to life as an international cricketer.

With Moeen Ali retired and Parkinson snubbed, the two spin bowling slots go to Jack Leach and Dom Bess. Among the batters, Haseeb Hameed travels despite missing out on a central contract this week, with Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Root, Ollie Pope and Dan Lawrence also picked.

Jonny Bairstow is also included, contesting a middle-order slot as well as challenging Jos Buttler for the wicketkeeping gloves.

England Ashes squad: Joe Root (captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Richard Mann's verdict

England have taken the predictable and pragmatic approach when selecting their 17-man squad for a winter Down Under, and while many have been quick to bemoan the personnel at Joe Root's disposal, I think that in most cases Root and head coach Chris Silverwood have picked the best from what is available.

As was the case four years ago, Ben Stokes is sure to prove a colossal miss and how England balance the side in the stamina-sapping conditions of an Australian summer will be crucial. Chris Woakes might well find that he is asked to perform the role of fully-fledged all-rounder at number seven in the batting order, though the aura Stokes has and the way he intimidates opposition teams will be impossible to replace.

Nevertheless, perhaps it is the absence of Jofra Archer that will be most keenly felt, as his pace and the prospect of bowling in tandem with Mark Wood on some fast and bouncy Australian pitches would have been one to really get England fans excited.

The only silver lining is that the two quickest pitches in Australia – at Brisbane and Perth – are scheduled for the first and fifth Tests, with the Boxing Day Test at the MCG the third of the series. Wood is unlikely to have been selected for the day/night Test at Adelaide, while one suspects Root will be happy to do without him in Sydney – venue for the fourth Test. Even so, England are patently light on genuine pace and Craig Overton's selection over Lancashire's Saqib Mahmood is the only one I'd take issue with.

Picking Jack Leach and Dom Bess as the two spinners in the squad makes sense. In the absence of a proven, world-class wrist spinner, picking two finger spinners who turn the ball in the opposite direction to each other gives Root options, and both are tough characters. Graeme Swann only averaged 39.80 with the ball in the successful 2010/2011 tour, but his economy rate of 2.72 allowed England to consistently control the run-rate and employ a four-man attack throughout. Root would dearly love something similar from Leach or Bess.

As for the batting, James Vince might have been a potential springer given his strong white-ball returns in the last year or so and the fact that he enjoyed so much success in last season's Big Bash. However, England clearly have a huge amount of faith in Zak Crawley and his selection means they don't need to take Dom Sibley as a back-up opener.

Instead, there is room in the squad for both Dan Lawrence and Jonny Bairstow to ensure that England's middle order options are plentiful and aggressive. With Jos Buttler confirmed for the tour and Ollie Pope also set to compete for a spot in the starting XI, England are rolling the dice with a middle order full of dynamic strokemakers, many of whom have enjoyed strong returns in limited-overs cricket where the pitches are true and sideways movement minimal.

England will be hoping the promise of similar conditions in Australia gives that batting unit a fighting chance of making enough runs to put the pressure on Australia's own batting line-up, one which is awfully reliant on Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.

I think they can do just that and this England squad, while so obviously missing two of its biggest stars, is still capable of competing hard with an Australia side lacking anything like the same level of depth and coming into this series on the back of no Test cricket since last winter.

For my money, England have selected well. They'll need to keep doing that when the series begins, but there should be genuine belief in the camp and among England fans that they can push the hosts very close.