England announce 12 for first Ashes Test in Brisbane
England announced their 12 for the first Ashes Test against Australia to be played in Brisbane starting Wednesday (December 8). James Anderson will sit out the first Test in a bid to manage his workload.
Led by Joe Root, the final XI will be declared at the toss. The England and Wales Cricket Board has put out the squad on their official website.
Joe Root (c), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Jos Buttler to keep wickets in first Ashes Test
Another noteworthy omission from the 12 is that of wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow. Jos Buttler is set to don the gloves instead. Buttler missed the fourth Test against India at The Oval in September as he was on paternity leave and Bairstow took his place.
Ollie Pope is expected to retain his place in the side, having stroked a sublime 81 in the first innings of the Oval Test against India. With Ben Stokes set to return to competitive action, Pope is expected to bat at No 6.
A final decision has yet to be made on whether to play spinner Jack Leach or opt for a five-man pace attack. The fast bowlers picked in the 12 are Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson and ace all-rounder Stokes.
England take on Australia in the first Ashes Test on Wednesday
Wednesday will see the latest chapter of the Ashes kick-off at the Gabba. Australia are the holders, having regained the urn with a 4-0 win at home in 2017-18 and retaining the coveted prize with a 2-2 draw in England in 2019.
Pat Cummins will become Australia's 47th Test skipper, after taking over from Tim Paine. Paine stepped down ahead of the series following a sexting scandal.
Wicketkeeper Paine has also taken an indefinite break from cricket to focus on his mental health. South Australia's Alex Carey will make his Test debut at the Gabba.
Australia announced their playing XI for the first Test on Sunday:
Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.