Mark Wood has been cleared to play and is likely to participate against Australia in the first Ashes Test on Friday. England have kept their options flexible by including off-spinner Shoaib Bashir alongside five fast bowlers as they named their 12-man squad on Wednesday for the opening game. If England choose an all-pace bowling attack, consisting of four specialist fast bowlers plus all-rounder Ben Stokes, it would likely be the quickest group of bowlers they have fielded in an Ashes Test on this soil.

The final selection probably comes down to off-spinner Bashir or seamer Brydon Carse. Since the pitch is expected to provide pace and bounce, the visitors might as well continue with their traditional strategy of relying solely on a pace attack.

Tourists have also observed a dryness on th

See Full Page