FIFTH TEST FROM TODAY: England drop Roy, Australia call up Marsh

LONDON: England have dropped Jason Roy for the fifth Ashes Test against Australia that starts on Thursday, as they look to level the series at 2-2.

One-day specialist Roy was handed his Test debut against Ireland in July after making a devastating impact at the top of the order during England’s victorious World Cup campaign.

But the Surrey batsman failed to impress in the first four matches of the Ashes, either as an opener or when he dropped down the order in the fourth Test, where he made a top score of 31.

Paceman Craig Overton has also been left out for the clash at the Oval, with all-rounders Sam Curran and Chris Woakes, who made way for Overton at Old Trafford last week, coming into the side.

The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed that Ben Stokes would play as a specialist batsman due to a shoulder injury.

England need a victory at the Oval to draw the series, although Australia have already retained the Ashes.

Captain Joe Root said Roy had missed out because the side needed re-balancing due to Stokes’ injury. “It’s always tough to leave guys out, but Stokesy obviously picked up a shoulder injury in the last game and won’t be able to bowl the overs we normally expect him to,” he said at the London ground on Wednesday. “With that we’ve had to change the balance of the side, and Jason’s the unfortunate one to miss out. Jason’s had an opportunity to come in and play Test cricket, get a feel for it and it’s not quite gone how he would have liked.

“But I’m sure he’ll go away and work extremely hard and come back again and that’s what you expect of guys when they get left out.”

Root said it would have been a risk to pick Stokes as a frontline bowler due to the all-rounder’s fitness issues but he fully justified his place as a specialist batsman.

The 28-year-old is England’s top-scorer in the series with 354 runs and two centuries, including his match-winning ton in the third Test at Headingley.

“He might be able to bowl a couple of overs here and there but his batting, as this series as shown, is a massive part of our side and he rightly deserves to be in our team as just a batter and a top-four batter,” said Root.

“He will I’m sure want to find different ways of getting himself into the game even if it’s not with the ball.”

Meanwhile, Tim Paine described the fifth Ashes Test as Australia’s “grand final” as they target their first series win in England since 2001.

Captain Paine said they were “very hungry” to complete the job at the Oval.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been recalled to the 12-man squad in place of Travis Head to ease the workload on Australia’s impressive pace attack.

“We’ve already spoken a lot about it (the final Test),” Paine said Wednesday on the eve of the match. “We came here to win the Ashes, not just to retain them.

“Last week’s result was brilliant and we played very well but all the guys are fully aware that this Test match is bigger than that one.

“This is our grand finale. We want this Test just as much as any other Test that we’ve played in this series.”

Root’s captaincy has come under scrutiny after England’s failure to regain the Ashes but Paine said Australia would not underestimate him. “We know Joe Root’s a fantastic cricketer,” he said. “I don’t get sometimes why he’s under so much scrutiny but that’s this level of international sport.

“We know how competitive he is, we know how good he is, we know he’ll be coming hard and looking to bounce back this week so he’s a huge wicket for us as he always is.”

Paine said Marsh’s inclusion was aimed at easing the workload on his impressive pace attack and that he had “full faith” in his batting.

“We just wanted a bit more bowling depth in the squad to cover what looks like a really good wicket and be able to look after our big fast bowlers,” said Paine.

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

Australia squad: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (captain, wicketkeeper), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood