England have zeroed in on Ollie Pope to occupy the only vacant spot in the middle order over Jonny Bairstow while Chris Woakes has been deemed as the best option to replace James Anderson, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) revealed via a press release.
The Times had earlier reported that Anderson might be rested citing lack of preparation leading up the first Test and Woakes will offer his seam bowling quality to England in Brisbane where weather conditions are likely to aid his kind of bowlers.
Pope winning a place over Bairstow comes as a reward for the Surrey batsman after excellent outings against India at home and Bairstow’s inability to capitalise on the opportunities in the four Tests against India earlier this year. As per reports, Bairstow was set to play the final Test of the series in Manchester before Covid-19 in the Indian camp postponed the game.
England are also contemplating playing one among Jack Leach and Stuart Broad, the report said further. The convention suggests that pitches in Gabba offer turns in the end parts of the game and bounce in the initial stage, something that should prompt England to pick Leach as their only frontline spinner. Having said that, the weather conditions and green tinge on the surface have made selection calls complicated for the tourists.
England will also be buoyed by the return of Ben Stokes, who will give the much-sought balance to the side and hence Leach could get to play his first Test for England after missing six Tests in a row due to team combination.
England squad for the first Test
Joe Root (c), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood