England declare Ashes Squad, Archer receives maiden call-up

Fresh from the thumping victory over Ireland in the one-off Test, England have declared their 14-man squad for the first Ashes Test. The selectors have decided to give a maiden Test call-up to Jofra Archer, but have dropped the player of the match against Ireland, Jack Leach.

The man who bowled the decisive Super Over against New Zealand in the World Cup, Jofra Archer was rested for the Ireland Test. The fast bowler had played through the tournament with a side strain and took out some time to recuperate. The 24-year old now has an opportunity to make his Ashes debut. He will be in contention along with other seam bowlers for a spot in the first Test.

Surprisingly, the selectors have not found a place of Jack Leach in the 14-man squad. The left-arm spinner was the top run-scorer in the recently concluded Test against Ireland. Walking out as a night watchman, he scored his career-best 92 and helped England post a defendable score. England have left him and fellow spinner Lewis Gregory out of the squad.

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler take the places of spinners in the squad after resting it out in the one-off game. Stokes has retained his vice-captaincy for the first time since the Bristol nightclub incident that took place in September 2017. Debutant Olly Stone has also retained his spot but may miss out with James Anderson coming back into the squad.

The Ashes 2019 begins on 1st August (Thursday) at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The Australian side has already declared their men who will take part in this exciting series.

Full Squad for the first Ashes Test:

Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes