England stick to the same squad for fifth Ashes Test

Jason Roy has been found wanting this series, averaging just 13. © Getty

England have named an unchanged squad for the fifth Ashes Test.

Australia took an insurmountable 2-1 lead at Manchester on Sunday to ensure they will return home with the Ashes urn. A 185-run win was completed with under an hour of play left on the final day. England, valiant in defeat, have been short of their opposition for most of the last month.

With a short turnaround between matches with the final Test starting at the Oval on Thursday, the selectors have decided against changes to the 13-man squad picked for the fourth Test. However, changes to the XI are being considered.

Ben Stokes, who spent time off the field after injuring his right shoulder in the field on day four, will be assessed over the next couple of days on whether he will be fit to bowl at the Oval.

If he is not fit, he is expected to feature as a specialist batsman. That would mean a bowling allrounder in Sam Curran or Chris Woakes coming in for a batsman, determined by head coach Trevor Bayliss and the captain, Joe Root.

The two batsmen under scrutiny will be Jason Roy and Jos Butter. Both have been found wanting this series, averaging just 13 and 16 respectively.

England squad for fifth Ashes Test: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes