England name unchanged squad for Oval Test

With several tired bowlers after a strenuous series, England were expected to rest some of their stars for the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval. However, the Three Lions have named an unchanged 14-man squad for the last and final Test of the long home summer. 

England’s skipper Ben Stokes earlier in the day talked about how the hosts could not force a result despite putting in a ‘brilliant’ shift in Manchester. While they have named an unchanged squad, there remains to be seen if Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, who have played back-to-back Tests now, will be in contention for a third. 

"There are some tired bodies and we have a short period until the Oval so we will have to see who is fit then," Stokes told the BBC.

With World Cup looming large for the Three Lions, they would be looking to keep the X-factor pacer Wood fresh for the tournament. It remains to be seen whether James Anderson, who has looked ordinary during the entire series, will be dropped for the final Test, with Josh Tongue replacing him in the setup. 

On the batting front, unless there is an injury, Dan Lawrence is set to warm the bench for the fifth Test in a row. 

England squad for the fifth Test: Ben Stokes (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood