England have dropped batsman Jason Roy and seamer Craig Overton for this week’s fifth and final Ashes series Test at The Oval in London.

All-rounders Sam Curran and Chris Woakes have been recalled. All-rounder Ben Stokes will play as a specialist batsman due to a shoulder injury.

The South African-born Roy struggled to convert a solid run of form in ODI cricket to success at Test match level. He averages under 20 after three Test innings.

Australia retained the Ashes title after winning last week’s fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. They won the 2017-18 Ashes series and the tourists lead the current series 2-1.

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‘We’ve not lost anything yet. Of course, we’re disappointed not to win the Ashes back but we’re fully focused on making sure that we do everything we can to finish the series 2-2,’ said captain Joe Root.

‘We’ve got a chance to level this series and make it slightly better than it looks right now. That’s the full focus of this group, so we’ve got to make sure that we win this game.’

Root has copped plenty of criticism after collecting three ducks in the last five innings. He, however, quashed suggestion that the captaincy is negatively affecting his primary role with the bat.

‘It has been a tough year for batting. Of course, I’ve not performed as I would have liked but that’s part and parcel of Test cricket,’ he added.

‘You’ve got to keep trying to find ways of counter-acting difficult passages of play and good bowling. I’ll keep trying to work on that and try to improve my game.’

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