England Announces Ashes Squad | Thebigtip

England’s squad of sixteen to take the trip down under was confirmed on Thursday as the Ashes holders aim to retain the Ashes, with the odd surprise thrown in.

Monty Panesar and Chris Tremlett have both been called up to travel for the test series despite both players being in test match exile for the past two years.

Both had good seasons for their county sides with Panesar taking 52 wickets this season and Tremlett taking 48, but questions were raised at the event to England’s national selector Geoff Miller and the decision not to include promising Yorkshire fast-bowler Ajmal Shahzad.

Miller said of Shahzad “We felt there were a couple of areas to develop on that he wasn't quite right on."

Shahzad Yorkshire team-mate, leading spinner and all-rounder in county cricket Adil Rashid was also not included in the Ashes squad or the English Performance squad which will be shadowing the test side. He took 53 wickets this season along with adding 732 runs but upon discussions with his county and the ECB it was decided Rashid was to be rested.

Steven Davies who has so far impressed in the controversial one-day series against Pakistan has been called-up to act as back-up to first choice ‘keeper Matt Prior. The Surrey ‘Keeper-Batsman is the only uncapped English player in the touring party.

Meanwhile Kevin Pietersen is included in the sixteen man squad even though he has failed to score a century for England in the last eighteen months. The South African born former captain will be playing domestic cricket in South Africa in the hope of finding form before the first test in Brisbane.

England Test Match Squad : Andrew Strauss (captain, Middlesex), Alastair Cook (vice-captain, Essex), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Steven Davies (wk, Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Monty Panesar (Sussex), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matt Prior (wk, Sussex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Surrey), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire).