Sydney Test: England name 12-man squad; Crawley warns of offensive approach after MCG strengthening | Cricket News

England announced a 12-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney on Friday, with renewed confidence in the camp following their morale-boosting victory at the MCG. The victory, England’s first in Australia for 15 years, opened the door for the tourists to finish with a respectable 3-2 scoreline.Go beyond borders with our YouTube channel. REGISTER NOW!The XII named for the Sydney Test includes Shoaib Bashir, keeping England’s options open on their frontline spinner, while Matthew Potts steps in at cover after Gus Atkinson was ruled out injured. Bashir, long billed as England’s ‘No.1 spinner’, is competing with Will Jacks for a place in the XI, having yet to feature in the first four Tests despite being given priority for this Ashes cycle.

Opener Zak Crawley said the MCG victory had instilled confidence in the squad and promised England would continue with their aggressive batting philosophy, whatever Australia’s bowling combination. With Todd Murphy in contention for his first Test of the series, Crawley made it clear that England’s intention would not change.“Whoever plays, I think that’s our team’s mantra, is to try to put pressure on people,” Crawley said. “Todd is a very good bowler, but I can imagine us trying to put a bit of pressure on him, as we would all their bowlers. It’s going to carry some risks, and if it turns out, it will certainly be a threat.”

Crawley added that finishing the series 3-2 would be a big statement for the team. “I think there’s a big difference within the group,” he said. “It shows a lot about our group and how united we are if we can get a win.”Attention was also focused on the SCG pitch after last week’s two-day Test in Melbourne, but chief curator Adam Lewis played down concerns, insisting the surface was on track to last five days.England XII for the Sydney test: