England cricket team have officially announced their 14-member squad for the fifth and final Test of the five-match Ashes Test series, starting July 27 at The Oval, London. England made the big decision of retaining experienced fast bowler James Anderson in the team without making any changes from the previous Test. The 40-year-old pacer did not get much success in the current Ashes 2023 Test series. Anderson, who will celebrate his 41st birthday on Sunday, has been able to take only four wickets in the last three ENG vs AUS Ashes 2023 Tests. It is being speculated that England vs Australia 5th Test at Kennington Oval could possibly be the last match of James Anderson's 'generational career'. It is believed that he might announce his retirement after the final Ashes 2023 Test.
James Anderson, the highest pace-bowling wicket-taker in Tests with 689 wickets, is 11 wickets away from completing 700 Test wickets. Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan (800 Test wickets) and Australia's late leg-spinner Shane Warne (708 wickets) are the only two bowlers ahead of Anderson in the all-time list.
England will aim to bounce back with a win in the final Test to level the five-match series 2-2 whereas Australia, after successfully retaining the Ashes urn, will be aiming for a first outright Ashes Test series win in England since 2001. Notably, Australia have not won the Ashes Test series on English soil for the last 22 years, since 2001.
“It’s a tough one to take, a tough pill to swallow. We were completely and utterly dominant throughout the hours of play we had, but the weather didn’t help us and we can’t change that,” Stokes said after 4th Ashes Test match at Old Trafford yielded no result.
“If this game went without rain we probably would have been favourites to be sat here at 2-2 and I think that would have elevated everything that this series has already done for test cricket,” Stokes said after the game.
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.