Brook named as Ashes vice-captain as Jacks wins recall

Harry Brook has replaced Ollie Pope as England's vice-captain in a move that could open the door for Jacob Bethell to bat at No. 3 in the Ashes this winter. Pope's demotion, flagged by Brendon McCullum earlier this month, was confirmed when England announced a 16-man squad to tour Australia on Tuesday, in which Will Jacks is the surprise name.

Pope has stood in for Ben Stokes five times in the past 14 months, most recently overseeing England's six-run defeat to India in the final Test of their series this summer. He started that series with a century at Headingley but finished it with an average of 34 after his form fell away and finds his spot under mounting pressure, not least after Bethell's recent white-ball success.

Brook's promotion comes after he took over from Jos Buttler as England's limited-overs captain earlier this year, and his role as vice-captain is more important than usual, amid continued uncertainty around Stokes' fitness. England said that Stokes "remains on track" to be available for the first Ashes Test on November 21 after injuring his shoulder while bowling against India.

Jacks' recall is the biggest surprise, coming nearly three years after he played his only two Tests in Pakistan. He has been picked ahead of Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson and Jack Leach as the reserve spinner behind Shoaib Bashir, although he will miss the preceding white-ball tour to New Zealand after breaking a finger on his left hand while fielding against South Africa earlier this month.

Jacks took six wickets in his two previous Tests - all in the same innings - but his return comes as a shock, not least after Dawson's return to the fold this summer. He has only made five first-class appearances for Surrey across the last two seasons, but is about as close to Bashir as England have in terms of physical attributes and has been picked ahead of more established spinners.

Matthew Potts, the Durham seamer, is recalled as the sixth frontline quick, with Chris Woakes not considered after dislocating his shoulder during the Oval Test. Potts, who last played a Test in New Zealand late last year, did not feature in any of England's squads during the India series but is the beneficiary of Jamie Overton's decision to put his first-class career on pause.

Mark Wood, who has not played competitively since the Champions Trophy, has been named in the squad after missing the home summer with a knee injury. He is the only one of England's six seamers to have featured in a Test in Australia previously, with Potts, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue all embarking on their first Ashes tours.

However, it is the identity of England's No. 3 that will prompt the most discussion over the next two months, with Pope's position increasingly vulnerable. Bethell made 6 and 5 at No. 6 in his only Test of the summer, but scored his first international hundred in an ODI against South Africa this month, and will have further opportunities to stake his claim next month.

Those chances will come on a white-ball tour to New Zealand, where England will play three T20Is and three ODIs on their way to Australia. Zak Crawley is in line to make his T20I debut on that tour after winning a call-up on the back of his success in the Hundred this summer, while Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Archer are all rested before returning for the ODIs.

Dawson, Sam Curran and Luke Wood will all be retained for the 50-over leg of the New Zealand tour, with Curran's recall particularly notable after England's struggles to balance their ODI side against South Africa. Saqib Mahmood will miss the tour after "minor" knee surgery, while Sonny Baker has kept his spot in both white-ball squads despite expensive debuts.

Jordan Cox has kept his spot in England's T20I squad after his match-winning 55 against Ireland on Sunday, but is overlooked for the Ashes as expected. Pope's familiar status as England's utility man has earned him the role of back-up wicketkeeper, in the event that Smith is unavailable.

There is some crossover between the squads for the New Zealand tour and for the Ashes, and some of those not picked for the white-ball squads will travel to New Zealand to acclimatise before joining up with England Lions in Australia. The Lions will provide England with their only warm-up opposition before the first Test in a three-day match at Lilac Hill from November 13-15, with a squad likely to be named later this week.

T20I squad vs New Zealand: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.

ODI squad vs New Zealand: Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root and Jamie Smith replace Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley and Phil Salt from the T20I squad.

Tests vs Australia: Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.

New Zealand fixtures (all D/N):

T20Is: October 18, 20 (both Christchurch) and 23 (Auckland).
ODIs: October 26 (Mount Maunganui), 29 (Hamilton) and November 1 (Wellington).

Ashes fixtures:

1st Test: November 21-25 (Perth)
2nd Test: December 4-8 (Brisbane, D/N)
3rd Test: December 17-21 (Adelaide)
4th Test: December 26-30 (Melbourne)
5th Test: January 4-8 (Sydney)