England name 16-man Ashes squad as Stokes captain Brook vice-captain

England have named a 16-man squad for the Ashes tour of Australia, with Ben Stokes confirmed as captain and Harry Brook promoted to vice-captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on Tuesday. The series starts in Perth on November 21 and will continue in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney through early January.

Stokes, who missed the final Test of the home series against India with a shoulder injury, is expected to be available for the start of the tour, England said. The squad blends experienced campaigners with a number of pace options and one specialist spinner, Shoaib Bashir, who has recovered from a finger injury suffered during the India series.

A surprise inclusion is batting all-rounder Will Jacks, who has been a fixture in England’s limited-overs sides but has only two Test caps, both earned in Pakistan in December 2022. Selectors have cast Jacks as a backup off-spinner to Bashir as well as a hitting option in the lower order. Jacks is currently recovering from a broken finger sustained on a recent T20 trip to Ireland and will miss England’s six-match white-ball tour of New Zealand in October and November, but the ECB said he is expected to be fit for the Ashes.