Pacer passed fit as England name XII for first Ashes Test
The visitors have announced their 12-member squad for the Ashes opener against Australia in Perth, starting 21 November.
England speedster Mark Wood has been declared fit and is named in the 12-member squad announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the first match against Australia.
Wood bowled eight overs in the warm-up match against the England Lions and went off the field for precautionary scans after feeling stiffness in his left hamstring.
Fast and fearsome Mark Wood | T20WC 2022
He did not take the field again in the warm-up game but was eventually cleared fit and is now in the running for the playing XI for the series opener.
With the Optus Stadium expected to assist fast bowling, England have gone with a pace-heavy attack in Jofra Archer, Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and the added option of the fit-again captain Ben Stokes.
Shoaib Bashir is the lone spinner in the bowling attack, though England can rely on the part-time spin of Joe Root should they choose to go with an all-pace battery.
There were no surprises in the batting line-up named in the 12-member squad, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley expected to open, followed by the reliable middle order featuring Ollie Pope, Root, Harry Brook, Stokes and wicket-keeper Jamie Smith.
England’s 12-member squad for first Ashes Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.
