Ben Stokes will be the captain of England’s 16-man squad for the forthcoming Ashes tour of Australia. Stokes, who missed the last Test against India at the Oval because of a shoulder injury, should be back to full health in time for the first game of the series in Perth on November 21.
Harry Brook is the new vice-captain, taking over for Ollie Pope. Pope stays on the team as a specialist hitter.
Mark Wood is back from a left knee injury, which makes England’s pace assault stronger. Shoaib Bashir, a spinner, is also returning after getting over an injury to his finger.
Matthew Potts and Will Jacks have been called back. Potts last played for England against New Zealand in December 2024, and Jacks last played for England in Pakistan in 2022.
The last time England won an Ashes series in Australia was in 2010/11. The series at home in 2023 ended in a tie, 2-2. This year’s five-match tournament will also take place in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.
The 2025 England Ashes Squad
Ben Stokes is the captain, Harry Brook is the vice-captain, and Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wkt), Josh Tongue, and Mark Wood are all players.
England will also go to New Zealand before the Ashes to play three T20Is and three ODIs.