Mark Wood has been dropped from a 12-man
England squad announced on the eve of the second Ashes Test against Australia,
which will be a day-night pink-ball Test at the Adelaide Oval. Mark was omitted
from the Adelaide Test despite taking three wickets in the Brisbane Test to
make way for returning James Anderson, who is back to lead the attack after
missing the series opener.

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Anderson, England’s leading Test
wicket-taker with 632, took 5-48 under the lights at the Adelaide Oval in 2018.

Anderson’s long-time regular opening
bowling partner Stuart Broad has also been included in the squad. Broad also
missed the first Test in Brisbane, which England lost by nine wickets. 

‘We have to ensure he (Wood) is fresh’

“With four Tests coming up in the next
four weeks, it is important that we keep our bowling group fresh and ready for
each Test,” England captain Joe Root said.

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“Mark will play a pivotal role in this
series and we have to ensure he is fresh and able to perform at his fullest
capability. With three Tests coming up after this one, he will be ready to play
his part in the rest of the series,” added Root at the pre-match press
conference.

Meanwhile, Anderson said he was
disappointed to miss the first Test and roaring to go in the pink-ball Test.
“It is always frustrating when you miss out on a Test but it is all about
the big picture,” 39-year-old Anderson told BBC Radio 5 Live.

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“We have five Tests in fairly quick
succession so we are trying to keep guys fresh.

“It shows how strong a squad we’ve got
when myself and Stuart come back into the 12 for this Test. We are fully
focused on getting back in the series.”

England lost three of their four day-night Tests

England’s record in pink-ball Tests has not
been great. They lost three of their four day-night Tests and were beaten by
120 runs in their last outing at Adelaide three years ago.

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Despite the defeat, they bowled Australia
out for 138 in their second innings under the lights, with Anderson starring
with the ball.

“We’ve seen a lot of pink ball cricket
at Adelaide and there has been times when the bowlers have been on top, but
we’ve also seen batters get runs,” Anderson said.

“You always feel expectation but I’ve
been working hard with the pink ball, trying to work out what works and what
doesn’t to try and get an edge on this week.”

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England’s 12-player squad: Joe Root (capt),
James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Haseeb
Hameed, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris
Woakes.