Bethell vs Pope and four more big questions from England's Ashes squad

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The call-up of Will Jacks was the biggest surprise when England named their squad for this winter's Ashes tour of Australia.

There are still big questions too over the preparation - or lack of it - and the fitness doubts over captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Mark Wood ahead of the series that starts in Perth on 21 November.

As is the way of Bazball, England will have just one three-day warm-up match in Perth to prepare for the biggest series of them all. The last squad from these shores to win Down Under led by Andrew Strauss in the winter of 2010-11 had three tough first-class fixtures leading into a series they won 3-1.

This time, aside from that match against England's second string, seven members of the squad will have no other time in the middle before the Ashes, while the remaining eight will be involved in a white-ball tour of New Zealand that precedes Australia.

As preparation goes, it doesn't look great. But as coach Brendon McCullum has pointed out, England have won the first Test of every overseas tour he has taken charge of on the back of similarly brief warm-up schedules.

So, what are the big talking points from this squad? The i Paper takes a look...

It's not necessarily bad news for Ollie Pope. After all, McCullum admitted earlier this month that both Pope and Jacob Bethell were in play for that No 3 position and a final decision will not be made until the squad assembles in Australia in November.

What it does mean is that Pope is now more easily dispensable if England opt to go with Bethell. Most pertinently, though, it is a statement from England that if Stokes is not fit for all five Tests in Australia, they want Brook leading the team on the field in Australia rather than Pope.

This should also be seen through the lens of fitness doubts surrounding Stokes, who has not completed the past four Test series he's been involved in and is again under an injury cloud following the muscle tear in his left shoulder that ruled him out of the final Test of the summer against India at The Oval.

While Stokes is back in training, there's no guarantee he will be fit to play as an all-rounder from the start of the Ashes or last the whole series. With Jacks in ahead of Rehan Ahmed, who most thought would be the second spinner in the squad, it gives England an option to rebalance their team in case of Stokes' absence.

Whether or not Bethell is in the XI, if Stokes was missing, England would likely drop spinner Shoaib Bashir and play four frontline seamers. They would then need someone to come in and bat at No 6 or seven and potentially help out with bowling spin alongside Joe Root.

Jacks fits the bill for that role better than the inexperienced Ahmed. If Pope remains at No 3, Bethell is another option for that role but England need plenty of options for a gruelling tour.

The fast bowler rattled the Aussies when he was parachuted into the 2023 home Ashes from the third Test onwards. England badly need him fit this winter. But he hasn't played a competitive game since February.

As he showed in 2023, Wood is capable of returning to play on the back of very little cricket. But his fitness is a worry.

The 35-year-old will join England midway through their tour of New Zealand along with the other Ashes bowlers not named in the white-ball squads in order to acclimatise. McCullum and company will also be taking a very close look at Wood in the nets there too.

Yes. Jofra Archer in particular springs to mind, although along with Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith, he will have a few extra days at home before heading to New Zealand after being rested for the T20 series there.

England would say that it might be a greater risk not playing some of these players ahead of the Ashes and that injuries can happen at any time. They're right but it would be a surprise if Archer plays all three ODIs against the Black Caps.

Yes. Australia have fitness concerns of their own over captain Pat Cummins, who like Stokes might not play all five Tests. Their top order is also a mess. They are vulnerable.

But it is crucial England keep their core of fast bowlers fit, Stokes plays the majority of Tests and Joe Root, without a century in Australia, scores big runs.