England have named off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in a 12-man squad for the opening Ashes Test against Australia in Perth, keeping their options flexible with four frontline fast bowlers included. There was no place for quick Josh Tongue, with Brydon Carse preferred, while Ollie Pope retained his No. 3 position ahead of Jacob Bethell.
Mark Wood eased concerns over his fitness by delivering a fiery spell in the nets on Tuesday after a minor injury scare last week. However, the selectors are expected to delay their final decision on his inclusion until the last moment.
Should England opt for a full-throttle pace attack on the lively Perth surface, Wood could join Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, and Carse a quartet capable of consistently hitting 90 mph. Not since the days of John Snow and Bob Willis during the 1970–71 Ashes series have England fielded such a formidable group of fast bowlers in Australia.
The first Ashes Test begins on Friday.
England squad: Ben Stokes (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Mark Wood.
