Josh Tongue retained, Ben Foakes left out as England announce Ashes squad for first two Tests

England have announced their squad for the first two Tests of the men’s 2023 Ashes, with the 16-strong group unchanged from that picked to face Ireland at Lord’s.

Josh Tongue, who impressed on Test debut at HQ, was retained, while there was no space once again for Ben Foakes, left out for the returning Jonny Bairstow against Ireland.

Tongue faces a battle to retain his place, with James Anderson, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood all set to come back into the selection frame.

“It was a seriously tough decision to leave Ben Foakes out of the squad,” Rob Key, managing director of England Men’s cricket said when t

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