Ben Stokes added to England squad, set to play Ashes after all

England has pulled a selection bombshell and added gun all-rounder Ben Stokes to the squad to tour Australia after initially ruling him out.

Stokes - who terrorised the Aussies in England during the 2019 Ashes series - had been ruled out of the tour Down Under due to a finger injury and mental health reasons.

Now he's been added and looks set to be on the plane to Australia on November 4 with the rest of the squad.

"I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted," Stokes said in a statement.

"I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I'm ready for Australia."

Stokes, 30, is considered the best all-rounder in international cricket currently.

He holds a Test batting average of 37.04 and a bowling average of 31.38.

Last time Australia faced him at Test level was disastrous for the Aussies.

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Stokes played an innings that became an instant classic, blasting 135 to beat the old enemy at Headingley to level the series 1-1 as Australia lost the unlosable Test.

England was looking vulnerable with both Stokes and the injured Jofra Archer missing, but the tourists look instantly more dangerous with the gun bowler-batter in the line-up.

The Ashes is due to begin at the Gabba on December 8.

FULL ENGLAND SQUAD

Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.