England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced a powerful 16-man side for the upcoming Ashes, which begins on November 21, with the inaugural Test to be played at the Perth Stadium. The charismatic Ben Stokes will captain the Three Lions as they seek to regain the urn from Pat Cummins and his teammates. They have not defeated Australia since they won 3-2 in England during 2015. Stokes, meanwhile, will have a new lieutenant for the series, with Harry Brook succeeding Ollie Pope as vice-captain of England's red-ball side. Brook was appointed England's white-ball captain earlier this year following Jos Buttler's resignation after a disappointing Champions Trophy 2025 season. Durham pace man Mark Wood returns to the Test team after getting over a left knee injury. The 35-year-old has not appeared in Test cricket for England since August 2024. On the other hand, Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir is back in the mix after getting over the finger injury incurred during the home series against India. Young fast bowler Matthew Potts and destructive batter Will Jacks also received call-ups for the big-ticket series. The latter featured in two Tests against Pakistan in December 2022. He will miss the white-ball tour of New Zealand with a fractured finger, but is likely to be fit in time for Ashes. Read also: IND A vs AUS A 2025: Suthar bags five, Siraj hits stride on day one at Ekana Potts, on the other hand, has not played Test cricket since December 2024's game against New Zealand at Seddon Park. The 26-year-old has taken 36 wickets from 10 Tests in his career to date. Stokes is also recovering from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the fifth and last Test against India at the Kia Oval and is still in contention to be ready for the beginning of the Test series against the Aussies. England Test squad for 2025/26 Ashes Series Ben Stokes (C), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (VC), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.