Rob Key said Ollie Pope is “the man in possession” of England’s number three spot but stopped short of confirming who will play in the first Ashes Test.

Pope has been under pressure from Jacob Bethell for much of the past year and was replaced as vice-captain by Harry Brook when England named their squad for the tour of Australia.

“There is not like an elaborate scheme where if we take the vice-captaincy off Ollie Pope, it makes him easier to drop,” said England managing director Key.

“All the tours we’ve done, you never make your decisions too early because things happen. We tend to leave the decisions as late as possible. We’ll find out what that XI will be probably two days before the first Test.”

England named their 16-man squad for the Ashes tour on Tuesday. Speaking on Wednesday, Key explained the decision to promote Brook to vice-captain and the reasoning for selecting Will Jacks as the second spinner.

Key also gave fitness updates on captain Ben Stokes and pace bowler Mark Wood. He also effectively ended the international career of Chris Woakes, who was not considered for the Ashes tour because of the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the final Test against India in July.

Woakes has struggled on his two previous tours of Australia, so may not have made the squad anyway. He opted against surgery on his left shoulder in a bid to be fit and now, at 36, is likely to have played his last for England.

It is cruel on Woakes, whose final act as an international cricketer was bravely coming out to bat with his dislocated shoulder in a bid to get England over the line in the thrilling fifth Test.

“It’s been as tough a time for someone, in cricket terms, the timing of it as much as anything else,” said Key.

“He was running out of time to be ready for the start for the Ashes. And then once you get out of an Ashes series, you’re often looking at the next cycle, so Chris Woakes isn’t in our plans at the minute.”

On Brook, who was appointed England’s white-ball captain at the beginning of the summer, Key said he is a “better leader” than Pope.

Though Key was adamant the decision has no bearing on Pope’s place in the team, it once again ignites the debate over England’s number three position.

In May, when Stokes backed Pope following the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, the captain said there was an “agenda” against his then deputy.

Pope made a century in the first innings of the first Test against India in June, but passed 50 only once more in the five-match series.

Bethell, 21, played only one first-class match in the run-up to coming into the England team for the final Test at The Oval and struggled as a result, but the left-hander then made his first professional century in a one-day international against South Africa earlier this month.

“We’ll see a bit more of Jacob Bethell playing in white-ball cricket before the Ashes,” said former Kent and England batter Key. “We know a fair amount about Ollie Pope, but Jacob Bethell will continue to get experience.”

Talismanic captain Stokes missed the final Test against India with a shoulder injury, meaning the all-rounder has not completed any of England’s past four Test series.

However, the 34-year-old stepped up his return by bowling during intervals of his county Durham’s County Championship match against Yorkshire at Headingley on Wednesday.

“He won’t have a lot of cricket before the Ashes series, but that didn’t stop him against India,” said Key. “With the ball, it’s certainly the best I’ve seen him bowl for a long time, if not ever, and that was without playing a lot of cricket going into the summer.

“I have no issues with Ben Stokes at all. He’s generally the type of player that builds and everything he does gets himself ready for these big moments.”

Stokes’ Durham team-mate Wood has not played a Test since August 2024 because of elbow and knee injuries, but Key is “confident” the world’s fastest bowler will be fit for the first Ashes Test on 21 November.

“His recovery is probably a little bit slower than we thought but we’re always erring on the side of caution,” said Key.

“The thing Woody always has going for him is he’s never been someone that needs to play lots and lots of games to get into form. He’s someone that can bowl in nets, bowl in middle practice, then all of a sudden he runs up and bowls 95mph.”

Surrey all-rounder Jacks was chosen as the back-up spinner to Shoaib Bashir, ahead of Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach and Liam Dawson.

Off-spinner Jacks has taken only five first-class wickets this year but, like Bashir, offers England height, as well as the option to boost their batting.

“In what we have coming up, we think Jacks offers a lot of different options,” said Key.

Key also confirmed leg-spinner Ahmed will be named in the England Lions squad that will be in Australia the same time as the senior group, so could be called into the Test party if required.