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England name Ashes squad with three uncapped players and no room for sentiment

Two senior bowlers left out; selectors say the pace attack has been picked for Australian pitches, not reputations

The pavilion at Lord's.
The pavilion at Lord's. Photograph: PaddyBriggs/Wikimedia Commons
Rob Hastings, cricket correspondent
Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:21 BST
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England named a 16-man squad for the Ashes on Friday with three uncapped players and without two of the bowlers who have taken the most wickets for the side over the past five years.

The selectors said the attack had been picked for the pace and bounce of Australian pitches and that there was no room for sentiment. The two omitted bowlers, both in their mid-thirties, were told on Thursday.

“It is a hard conversation,” the head coach said. “It is also the right one.”

The squad flies in three weeks. The first Test is in Perth.

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