Ashes 2019: Jofra Archer Misses Out, James Anderson Returns As England Name Playing XI For First Test

England Test skipper Joe Root on Wednesday confirmed the playing XI for the first Ashes Test, as per a release by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Jofra Archer, England's highest wicket-taker in World Cup 2019, missed out on the playing XI for the Ashes opener while veteran pacer James Anderson returned to the side after battling an injury which forced him out of the one-off Test against Ireland at Lord's. Sam Curran and Olly Stone are the other the two players from the 14-man squad who have missed out.

BREAKING NEWS

We have named our team for the first #Ashes Test!

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 31, 2019

England, who return to Edgbaston on Thursday for the Ashes opener, will look to round off an already memorable season by completing a World Cup and Ashes double.

If the World Cup remains the pinnacle of the 50-over game, for England and Australia there's nothing quite like a renewal of Test cricket's oldest rivalry. But now there's arguably more at stake for both sides than the series result.

For England, a home season billed as the most important in a generation started brilliantly with their impressive run to a first men's World Cup title.

For Australia, an Ashes series win under the dignified leadership of Tim Paine would help draw a line under the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa that led to long bans for former captain Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

All three batsmen are likely to feature at Edgbaston, with Bancroft set to hear the same booing that greeted Smith and Warner during the World Cup.

Australia are the current Ashes champions but have not won an Ashes in England for 19 years, with their batsmen struggling against the heavily stitched Dukes ball on pitches that offer seam movement.

England Playing XI for first Ashes Test: Rory Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Root (c), Joe Denly, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.

(With AFP inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

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