BIRMINGHAM: England pace bowler Jofra Archer has been omitted from the side for the first Ashes Test against Australia starting at Edgbaston on Thursday with Chris Woakes keeping his place after his stunning display against Ireland last week.
Barbados-born Archer, who made a huge impact in England’s triumphant World Cup campaign, taking 20 wickets, is yet to play a Test and has been suffering with a side strain.
Fellow paceman Olly Stone also misses out as does Sam Curran from the original 14-man squad.
Australia delay naming playing XI until toss
Record Test wicket-taker James Anderson returns after recovering from a calf strain and will lead the attack with usual strike partner Stuart Broad.
All-rounder Ben Stokes is back to bolster the batting and bowling units after being rested for the Ireland match while Moeen Ali is the specialist spinner.
“Jofra is coming back from a serious injury,” England skipper Joe Root said on Wednesday. “We looked at the conditions and went with what we thought was best to take 20 wickets here.”
Warwickshire’s Woakes, whose home pitch is Edgbaston, took six wickets in a magical spell of seam bowling as Ireland were dismissed for 38 to lose by 143 runs at Lord’s last week.
Archer will return to Sussex to play a Twenty20 Blast game.
While England’s bowling has a familiar look, the top order batting remains a worry with openers Rory Burns, Jason Roy and Joe Denly, who has dropped down to number four to allow Root to come in at three, having only 11 Test caps between them.
Root says his elevation to a spot he has previously been reluctant to occupy was entirely his decision.
“It’s an opportunity for me to get in there earlier to spread out the experience,” he said. “It’s a really good chance for me to cement this spot and make it my own.
“Having captained this side for a while, I feel like a I can get my head around juggling leading on the field and batting.”
The return to the side of Jos Buttler to the middle order means wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow, who made a pair against Ireland, drops down to seven.
Australia captain Tim Paine, meanwhile said on Wednesday he has no fears about losing his place as he prepares to lead his team in the first Ashes Test. The wicket-keeper found himself unexpectedly thrust into a leadership position in the fall-out from last year’s ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Then-captain Steve Smith and David Warner, his deputy, were stripped of their positions after the incident and both were banned from international cricket for 12 months.
Australia’s squad for the Ashes includes another wicket-keeper in Matthew Wade, who has already played 22 Tests. Wade has been in fine form with the bat during the recent Australia ‘A’ tour of England, scoring three hundreds to force his way into the XI as a batsman.
By contrast, Paine has managed just one first-class century in his entire career.
Asked during a pre-match press conference if he felt under pressure to justify his place, Paine replied: “No, I do not at all. I’m 34 years old, I don’t really care about my place in the side any more. I’m here to do a job.
“I’ve been put in this team to captain and wicket-keep to the best of my ability and I’ve said before, at 34, if you are looking further ahead than the next Test match you are kidding yourself.
“I’m not going to waste time looking over my shoulder. I’m enjoying the job that I’m doing.”
With Cameron Bancroft, the man who applied sandpaper to the ball during that fateful Test in Cape Town, also set to be included in Australia’s team for the Ashes opener alongside Smith and Warner, there will be a renewed focus on the tourists’ on-field conduct.
But the side, under the leadership of Australia one-day captain Aaron Finch, conducted themselves in exemplary fashion during the recent World Cup in England and Wales.
Paine said they were taking their cue from Winston Churchill although there is doubt over whether Britain’s prime minister during World War II ever said the words ascribed to him by the Australians.
“We are going to play competitive Test match cricket like every other nation does,” he said. “Our guys understand what’s expected of them and we are role models,” added Paine, with Australia looking to win their first Ashes series in England since 2001.
“There’s been a quote going around our changing rooms this week from Winston Churchill and that is ‘behaviour doesn’t lie’.
“We can talk all we like about how we are going to play and ultimately you guys will see how we play and judge for yourselves,” added Paine.
Meanwhile Paine was glad of the strength in depth of an Australia fast-bowling unit where Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle are all vying for a place in the side.
“We are in a really good situation at the moment where we have a number of quality fast bowlers in particular,” Paine said.
“We are lucky that we feel we have a lot of bases covered,” added the skipper who said Australia would name their team at the toss, unlike England, who confirmed their side on Wednesday.
“It’s up to us to come up with the best combinations to take 20 wickets. Our quicks that have been here before, have learnt lessons from being here before. It’s important that we learn from them and put what we’ve learnt into practice in this series.”
Teams:
ENGLAND: Rory Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Root (captain), Joe Denly, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
AUSTRALIA (from): David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (captain), Pat Cummins, James Pattinson, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh.
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Joel Wilson (West Indies).
TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand).
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
