Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and chose to bat first against England in the fourth Test match of the Ashes at Old Trafford in Manchester on Wednesday.
The five-match series is poised at 1-1 with two games left. Australia were on the brink of retaining the Ashes only for Ben Stokes's superb 135 not out delivered England a stunning one-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley.
Star batsman Steve Smith, who recently topped the ICC Test rankings, will return to the visiting side, having recovered from a concussion after being hit by Jofra Archer delivery. Smith scored 144 and 142 in Australia's 251-run win in the first Test at Edgbaston. He made 92 in the drawn second Test at Lord's. Usman Khawaja has been dropped to make way for Smith's return while the latter's concussion substitute has been retained.
For England, Chris Woakes has been dropped and replaced with fast bowler Craig Overton. Overton was drafted into the squad after it was confirmed that James Anderson will be ruled out of the Ashes due to a calf injury.
Teams:
England: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root (captain), Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Jos Buttler, Craig Overton, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach
Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (captain and wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon