England cricket team have added Rehan Ahmed and Mark Wood to the squad ahead of the second Ashes Test against Australia on Friday.
The second Test will begin on Wednesday (June 28) at Lord’s Cricket Ground and the teenager has joined the squad as a cover for the veteran off-spinner Moeen Ali while the 33-year-old is included as an additional pacer.
Ahmed, 18, made his Test debut against Pakistan at Karachi's National Stadium in December 2022. Meanwhile, Wood, who bowls regularly at 150+kph, also played his last Test against Team Green.
England Men's Ashes Test Squad:
Ben Stokes (captain), Jonathan Bairstow (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.
Earlier in the first Test, Australia defeated England by two wickets on the fifth day after a nail-biting finish in Edgbaston on Tuesday (June 20).
While chasing the target of 281 runs, Australia were 54 runs short to the target with just two wickets in hand when their skipper Pat Cummins walked in to bat. The right-handed pulled off a stunning contest by scoring a match-winning knock of 44 runs including four boundaries and two maximums.
Cummins stood like a rock-solid mountain and helped his team win the Test after taking them out from a difficult stage. Before Cummins' arrival, there was only one percent chance of winning for Australia.
Usman Khawaja was named player of the match for his heroics in both the first and the second innings. He scored a remarkable knock of 141 runs in the first innings and helped the Aussies avoid a collapse. In the second innings, he was once again top scored with 65 off 197.
Men’s Ashes Schedule
First Test (Edgbaston) - Friday, June 16 - Tuesday, June 20
Second Test (Lord's) - Wednesday, June 28 - Sunday, July 2
Third Test (Clean Slate Headingley) - Thursday, July 6 - Monday, July 10
Fourth Test (Emirates Old Trafford) - Wednesday, July 19 - Sunday, July 23
Fifth Test (The Kia Oval) - Thursday, July 27 - Monday, July 31