Ashes squad 2017: Who's on the plane and who's sweating on their England place for tour of Australia?

The players will find out their fate on Wednesday morning

England travel to Australia for the Ashes this winter (Getty)

England’s selectors have picked their squad for this winter’s Ashes tour of Australia, with the announcement at The Oval Wednesday morning at 10am.

Here we look at who is definitely on the plane, those who are waiting nervously to find out and the players who are destined to be heartbroken when the selectors reveal their hand.

On the plane

Alastair Cook

England’s all-time leading runscorer is a veteran of three previous Ashes tours, including the triumphant 2010-11 series when he scored 766 runs.

Joe Root (captain)

Captain, leader and legend in the making such is the ease with which he reels off big scores.

Root will lead England in Australia (Getty)

Mark Stoneman

Did just about enough during his debut series against West Indies to cement his place in the XI. England’s confidence in him shown in him illustrated by the fact they will not take a reserve opener.

Ben Stokes

Despite his untimely arrest and on-going police investigation into that incident at a Bristol nightclub, England will, barring any last-minute changes of heart, not leave their vice-captain and the world’s best all-rounder out of the squad.

Jonny Bairstow

Established as the Test team’s No1 wicketkeeper and one of its most consistent batsmen.

Jonny Bairstow should be assured of his place (Getty)

Moeen Ali

Has been a star with both bat and ball this summer but faces tough challenge as a spinner in Australia.

James Anderson

His country’s all-time leading wicket-taker and the sixth most prolific bowler in Test history. Like Cook, will be looking to recapture the form in Australia that made him a key to English victory seven years ago.

Stuart Broad

England’s best bowler during their 5-0 whitewash Down Under four years ago, every Australian’s favourite pantomime villain will be at the front of the queue when it comes to boarding the flight.

Stuart Broad will renew his war with the Australian media (Getty)

Chris Woakes

Will be expected to recapture the superb bowling form he showed in the 18 months before injury struck him down earlier this summer.

Likely lads

Mason Crane

The 20-year-old leg-spinner may only have 16 Championship wickets at 41.44 this summer for Hampshire but his success in Australia last winter, where he made his Sheffield Shield debut for New South Wales, and popularity with coach Trevor Bayliss means he is set to take the second spinner’s berth.

Ben Foakes

The 24-year-old will be named as reserve wicketkeeper after a fine season for Surrey with the gloves and the bat, Foakes averaging 45 in the Championship.

James Vince

Out of nowhere the Hampshire captain might get a second chance at Test cricket after being dropped after seven underwhelming matches last summer when his technique outside off stump was brutally exposed. His average then was under 20 and he’s only averaging 34 for Hampshire this season. But England’s batting weaknesses have somehow made Vince a viable option again.

Ballance is likely to go after his finger injury (Getty)

Gary Ballance

The Yorkshire captain was only left out by England midway through this summer because of a finger injury. But his form up until then was poor and he probably would have been dropped anyway. Mediocre form by those in possession, though, means he is likely to get a recall for the biggest tour of them all.

Dawid Malan

Two half-centuries against West Indies appear to have got him on the plane after a poor debut series against South Africa earlier this summer. Faces a fight to cling on to his position at No5 though.

On the line

Tom Westley

The Essex batsman looked so good on debut against South Africa at The Oval this summer. But his form at No3 has fallen away alarmingly since then. But, after sustaining no serious damage when hit on the thumb batting for Essex against Yorkshire on Monday, Westley is still in with a chance of selection, although it might only be in an expanded 17-man squad.

Jake Ball

Has not played for England since last winter and has a bowling average of 114 after three Tests. But his height makes him a viable option for Australia.

Steven Finn

Steven Finn faces a nervous wait (Getty)

Like Ball, the injury to Toby Roland-Jones has given him a chance of a recall having not played a Test since last winter. Finn’s pedigree, though, should make him a favourite ahead of the Nottinghamshire bowler despite his nightmare tour of Australia in 2013-14, when he lost his action and was eventually deemed “unselectable”.

Craig Overton

The 23-year-old Somerset fast bowler has become a live contender after season that has seen him take 44 Championship wickets at 23.18. Would be a progressive pick.

Mark Wood

If this most genuine of fast bowlers was fully fit there would be no debate about his place in the team let alone the squad. But a heel injury ruled him out of the final five Tests of the summer and talk that he needed a pain-killing injection to play in Durham’s Championship match against Worcestershire this week is a worry.

Missing out

Keaton Jennings

Dropped as an opener following the South Africa series earlier this summer, Jennings has failed to score more than 17 runs in any one innings for Durham since.

Jennings may have blown his chance (Getty)

Haseeb Hameed

The opener had a fine start to his Test career in India last winter. But he was always unlikely to make the squad after a poor summer for Lancashire even before a fractured finger put paid to those hopes.

Toby Roland-Jones

Was a shoo-in to make the squad. But a stress fracture of the lower back has ruled the Middlesex seamer out.

Adil Rashid

Not trusted by coach Bayliss to keep it tight in Test cricket, the Yorkshire leg-spinner appears destined to be categorised as a limited-overs specialist by England from now on.

Jos Buttler

England’s one-day wicketkeeper also appears to now be viewed exclusively as a limited-overs player after the emergence of Foakes.

Both Buttler and Hales look likely to miss out (Getty)

Jack Leach

The leg-spinner can count himself unlucky not to be in the Ashes conversation after a prolific summer for Somerset. Crane’s standing appears to have sidelined the 26-year-old.

Alex Hales

Has had a good summer for Notts, averaging in the mid-40s in red-ball cricket after moving into the middle order since being dropped by England after 11 Tests as an opener. But Division Two runs count for less and Hales has not done enough in the eyes of the selectors.