England have named their 12-man squad for the opening Test against Australia at the Gabba, starting from December 8. The management have omitted Jonny Bairstow from the squad. Mark Wood was named with fellow quicks Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson with James Anderson missing out due to a calf injury.
Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed are set to continue their opening partnership after combining for the last two tests of the home series against India. Meanwhile, Joe Root, the captain, will be the mainstay of the batting unit with the rest of the batting line-up comprising Haseeb Hameed, Rory Burns, Ollie Pope and Dawid Malan. Jos Buttler will be the wicketkeeper. The all-rounder Ben Stokes, who took an indefinite break during the England summer this year, has made a return to the set-up. England last won a Test at the Gabba back in November 1986 when they beat the hosts by seven wickets.
England squad: Joe Root (capt), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Haseeb Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
