Joe Root declares the England XI for the 1st Test

England, following their arch-rivals, have also announced their playing XI for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane at the Gabba. They have made a couple of changes to the team that played their final warm-up game in Townsville last week. Jake Ball has been included in place of Craig Overton and James Anderson had to come in to replace Mason Crane. However, Overton’s exclusion is a little bit surprising given the way he performed in the build-up to the series.

Jake Ball has been recovered from his sprained ankle and is raring to take the field on Thursday. The batting line-up will be the same for the visitors which played the last warm-up game and are looking a confident unit now after spending three weeks in the country. Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman will open the innings as James Vince will return to the setup at number 3. The skipper Joe Root will take the all-important fourth spot like his counterpart Steve Smith. Anderson and Stuart Broad, as expected, will take up the new ball duties.

Moeen Ali to be promoted to 6?

The selection of Jake Ball was explained by Root as the bowler had performed exceptionally well whenever he was presented with the opportunities. “Jake has obviously bowled well when he had his opportunities on the tour. The way he goes about his things on these surfaces could be challenging for the Australians. He has worked really hard to get fit and doing everything he can to make sure he is in (the team),” he said in an interview to ecb.co.uk.

Also, it is being learnt that the all-rounder and the only spinner in the team, Moeen Ali is set to be promoted at no. 6 ahead of Jonny Bairstow for the first Ashes Test. Bairstow’s ability to play with the tail is touted to be the reason for the move. But still, it is a surprising one given the fact that Ali averages 68.54 at 7 in 14 innings in Tests.

Joe Root would look to start the series on a good note as he begins his maiden Ashes campaign as a skipper.

England playing XI: Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (c), Dawid Malan, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Jake Ball, James Anderson