Stuart Broad picked over Mark Wood by England for first Ashes Test

Ben Stokes has named his England team for the first Ashes Test that starts at Edgbaston on Friday, opting for the experience of Stuart Broad over the pace of Mark Wood in his final selection decision.

The expected return of Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson after missing the one-off Test against Ireland with niggles meant a logjam in the seam department for the series opener and the possibility that Broad might find himself squeezed out.

Had this occurred, the return of Moeen Ali as the solitary spinner would have meant an entirely fresh attack from the Lord’s match but Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have instead decided on continuity in one of the berths when announcing their XI two days out from the first ball being bowled.

Whether this sees Broad handed an instant reunion with David Warner – seven times his victim in the 2019 series – remains to be seen, however, with the 36-year-old operating at first change since Anderson and Robinson became the preferred new-ball pairing last summer. If it does, expect the famous Hollies Stand to be in full voice.

It may be this selection was informed by some trepidation over how much Stokes can bowl, the all-rounder striving to overcome a longstanding knee problem. That said, England do not tend to do trepidation these days and Stokes upped his bowling on Wednesday, sending down around five overs in the nets with a fair amount of grunt.

Wood was arguably the only England player to emerge from the 4-0 hammering in Australia 18 months ago in credit, and the absence of his extra pace may yet prove a talking point should a pitch that looks hard and true prove to the liking of Australia’s batters. On Wednesday it was announced that Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis