Mark Wood: 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 the pitch, making Bashir a contender. In this venue's brief history of hosting five Tests, Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon is the top wicket-taker with 29.
England have supported Bashir, 22, as their primary spinner for over a year and he became the youngest England bowler to score 50 in Tests back in May. However, he has not participated in a competitive match since his final wicket in a thrilling win against India during the third Test at Lord's in July.
Bashir has been sidelined with a broken finger and struggled in England's sole warm-up match against England Lions, where he finished with combined figures of 2-151 from 24 overs. The situation also increases the likelihood that Bashir will play in an Ashes Test without being tied to a county team, as his contract with Somerset ended after the summer.
England have supported Bashir, 22, as their primary spinner for over a year and he became the youngest England bowler to score 50 in Tests back in May. However, he has not participated in a competitive match since his final wicket in a thrilling win against India during the third Test at Lord's in July.
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England squad for first Ashes Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir