England name unchanged squad for first two Ashes tests

03.06.2023 - 18:01 channelnewsasia.com

England have named an unchanged squad for the first two tests of the five-match Ashes series against Australia, with seamer Josh Tongue retaining his place after an impressive debut against Ireland this week.Tongue was initially drafted into the squad after injury concerns over James Anderson and Ollie Robinson, who were rested for the Ireland test but are expected to be fit to face Australia when the first test begins at Edgbaston on June 16.Worcestershire seamer Tongue took three wickets on day two as England closed on a comprehensive victory over Ireland at Lord's in their only warm-up test before the Ashes.England do have concerns about the fitness of their captain Ben Stokes who has a longstanding knee problem and was in obvious pain after taking a catch to dismiss Ireland's Curtis Campher on Saturday.England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Joe Root James Anderson Ollie Robinson Stuart Broad Mark Wood Zak Crawley Jonny Bairstow Chris Woakes Harry Brook Curtis Campher Dan Lawrence Matthew Potts Australia Ireland county Jack county Lawrence

England spinner Rehan Ahmed has been added to the Ashes squad for the second test against Australia at Lord's next week as cover for Moeen Ali who was nursing a finger injury in the first match, the country's cricket board (ECB) said on Friday.

'Mark Wood In Contention For 2nd Ashes Test': England Head Coach Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum, the current head coach of the England cricket Test team, has confirmed that the 33-year-old pace bowler Mark Wood will come into contention for selection at Lord's after missing the first Test. With James Anderson's struggle to find rhythm in the first Test match of the Ashes 2023, Wood could come in to replace Anderson to offer a different dimension to the English pace bowling line-up. "Woody's a great bowler. He offers a real point of difference and he'll always come into consideration for selection - especially on wickets that need a little bit more pace. That's the beauty of having a good squad: we've got guys to pick from," McCullum said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

England face difficult call on bowling attack for Lord's Ashes Test

England will have to make some tough decisions on the make-up of their bowling attack for the second Ashes Test at Lord's after Australia pulled off a tense two-wicket win in the series opener in Birmingham.

How Australia Triumphed Over England's 'Bazball' To Win 1st Ashes Test

Australia's dramatic two-wicket in the first Test at Edgbaston on Tuesday ensured a hugely-anticipated Ashes series got off to a thrilling start as skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon's unbroken stand of 55 turned the tables on England. Below AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from a gripping encounter between the arch-rivals.

England vs Australia, 1st Ashes Test: Usman Khawaja, Pat Cummins Star As Australia Edge Past England By 2 Wickets

Australia beat England by two wickets to win a thrilling first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Australia were struggling at 227-8, still 54 runs shy of a victory target of 281, when skipper Pat Cummins was joined in the middle by tailender Nathan Lyon. But the pair's unbroken stand of 55 saw Ashes holders Australia home, with Cummins hitting the winning boundary to finish on 44 not out after opener Usman Khawaja had made a painstaking 65 to follow his first-innings 141. Lyon was unbeaten on 16, with Australia now 1-0 up in this five-match series as they bid for a first Ashes campaign triumph on English soil in 22 years.

England vs Australia, 1st Ashes Test, Day 5, Live Score Updates: Usman Khawaja Key As Australia Chase 281-run Target

ENG vs AUS, 1st Ashes Test, Day 5, Live:Australia will begin the fifth and final day of the ongoing first Ashes Test against England from 107/3, with Usman Khawaja (34*) and Scott Boland (13*) standing unbeaten at the crease. The visitors need 174 runs to win on the final day with seven wickets in hand. Australia were making steady progress at 78-1 in pursuit of a victory target of 281 when Stuart Broad removed both Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith -- the world's two top-ranked Test batsmen -- to leave the Ashes holders 89-3. (Live Scorecard)