England Cricket Board has announced their squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming Ashes series. One of the notable inclusions in the squad is Josh Tongue, who recently made his debut in the Test match against Ireland.

Tongue will join a formidable bowling attack consisting of Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, and spinner Jack Leach. However, there is a major setback for the hosts as star pacer Jofra Archer, who is currently dealing with an injury, has not been named in the squad.

The much-anticipated Ashes series is set to commence on June 16 in Birmingham. England has decided to stick with the same squad that was announced for the one-off Test against Ireland. This means that wicketkeeper-batter Ben Foakes has been left out by the selectors.

Ashes 2023 squads

The England Men's Ashes Test Squad includes Ben Stokes as the captain, along with key players such as James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood, among others.

On the other side, the Australian Test Squad comprises players like captain Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith as the vice-captain, Mitchell Starc, and David Warner.

The absence of Jofra Archer in England's squad is a significant blow for the hosts, as he has been a key figure in their bowling line-up. His pace and ability to take wickets have been crucial for England in the past. However, the selectors will have to rely on the other talented bowlers in the squad to step up and fill the void left by Archer.