Reuters

London, Sep 12: Andrew Flintoff will lead England's Ashes defence in Australia later this year after being named as captain when the squad was announced on Tuesday.

The all rounder was given the nod ahead of opening batsman Andrew Strauss who has captained the side in the absence of the injured Flintoff during the recent test and one-day series against Pakistan.

Flintoff, who succeeded the injured Michael Vaughan as England skipper, has not played for his country since the drawn series against Sri Lanka because of an ankle injury although he expects to be fit for the first test in Brisbane on Nov. 23.

Left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, one of the key figures in England's Ashes triumph last year, was also named in the squad despite missing the entire season with a hip injury.

As expected, there was no place for Vaughan, who is still battling to recover from a right knee injury.

Squad: Andrew Flintoff (captain), Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Chris Read (wicketkeeper), Geraint Jones (wicketkeeper), Ashley Giles, Monty Panesar, Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Sajid Mahmood, Liam Plunkett, James Anderson.