England shuffle pack for final Ashes Test as Jason Roy is put out of his misery

After a series of failure and discomfort, England’s Jason Roy has been dropped for the fifth Test at The Oval, one of two changes to an England side charged with securing a face-saving series draw.

England have swung the axe as they look to deny Australia a series win at the Oval, culling hapless batsman Jason Roy among two changes for the final Ashes Test.

With concerns over the fitness of Ben Stokes, who is nursing a shoulder complaint which looks like to prevent him from bowling this week, England have brought in seam-bowling all-rounders Sam Curran and Chris Woakes.

Australia hold an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series, but England have made a point of wanting to salvage something for the series and send Australia home on the back of a loss, rather than as 3-1 series victors.

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Roy has struggled mightily this series, scoring 57 runs at just 9.5 as an opener before being shuffled down the order to No. 4 at Old Trafford – where he had returns of 22 and 31.

One-day specialist Jason Roy has been a walking wicket in his first Test series.

But they were not enough to save the white-ball star, as England opted to keep Joe Denly at the top of the order – while promoting Stokes to No. 4 as a specialist batsman, with Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler rounding out the middle order.

Captain Joe Root said it was not the end for Roy, who starred during England’s historic World Cup triumph but was well contained by Australia’s all-conquering pace attack in the Ashes.

Sam Curran has been drafted in for the final Ashes Test at the Oval.

“Jason has had an opportunity to come in and play Test cricket and get a feel for it and it has not gone quite how he would have liked,” Root said on match eve.

“But I’m sure he will go away and work extremely hard and come again.

“That is what you expect of guys when they get left out and I’m sure he will have that attitude and want to try and prove a point and get himself back into the side.”

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The injury concerns around Stokes, with Root admitting it would be a ‘risk’ to take him as the fourth seamer, were the final nail in Roy’s coffin.

England were reluctant to put burden frontline quicks Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer with an even greater workload than they’ve already endured this series.

Out of the fast bowlers, only Australian ironman Pat Cummins (164.1 overs) has bowled more than the 148.1 sent down by the 33-year-old Stuart Broad while the home side are also conscious of not breaking pace sensation Archer after a long summer.

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“Obviously his batting, as this series has shown, is a massive part of our side and he rightly deserves to be in the team as a batter and a top four batter,” Root said.

“So he will find different ways of getting himself into the game even if its not with the ball”.

England XI: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root (capt), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad.

Originally published as England shuffle pack for final Ashes Test as Jason Roy is put out of his misery