The 33-year-old has played 118 Tests for England, scoring 7,727 runs and winning five Ashes series since becoming a regular in the side following his debut in 2004, but disappointed in the recently concluded series against Pakistan.
England also named their final one-day squad before the World Cup, with fast bowlers Tom Curran and David Willey returning to a unit who defeated Sri Lanka 3-1. Tom replaces brother Sam as Liam Dawson and Olly Stone also miss out.
India captain Virat Kohli remained in second spot behind Steve Smith while Alastair Cook jumped nine places to be eighth in the latest ICC Test rankings after his unbeaten double century in the ongoing Ashes.
Rain wiped out virtually the entire third day's play in the first Test between New Zealand and England with only 17 balls bowled in Auckland on Saturday as the hosts padded their lead to 175 runs.
England recalled left-arm spinner Monty Panesar for the Ashes series in Australia in their 16-man squad named on Thursday.
A captain's century hewn from granite and two wickets in a fiery pace assault after tea saw Australia wrest the momentum away from England on day three of the series-opening Ashes Test in Brisbane on Saturday.
It is an perfect stage for India's mercurial skipper Virat Kohli, who loves to bring his A game to the fore when the chips are down.
A look at the newly-laid dark coloured Chepauk track is an indication that unlike the strip used during the first Test, this one will offer turn earlier than expected.
England trail New Zealand's first innings by 69 runs but need to survive the remaining 31 overs in the final session to stop the hosts from taking a 1-0 lead in the two match series.
England stumbled to 39 for five at the Kensington Oval to open a lead of 107 runs on Day 2 of the third Test against the West Indies.
A rampaging Kolkata Knight Riders stand in the way of Delhi Daredevils' revival plan as the two teams, with contrasting runs so far, gear up to clash in an Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture in Kolkata on Friday.
India will aim to soar higher with the return of Virat Kohli against Joe Root's England
England stood on the brink of a first Ashes series triumph in Australia for 24 years after reducing the hosts to 213 for seven in their second innings at stumps on the fourth day of the fifth Test on Thursday.
Shane Watson's magnificent 176 put Australia in command at 307 for four on the first day of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at The Oval on Wednesday.
England pace bowler Tim Bresnan has been ruled out for the remainder of the English season, including the final Ashes Test, with a stress fracture in his lower back.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 3rd Test played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Sunday
All-rounder Ben Stokes has been recalled to the England squad for the first Test against India, starting at TrentBridge next Wednesday.
Images from Day 5 of the fourth Test between England and India, at The Oval, on Sunday.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who was left out of the first Test, is back in the mix as Shardul Thakur seems to have done his hamstring some damage during the training session at Lord's on Monday.
The injury suffered by Chris Rogers at Lord's has finally convinced Australia captain Michael Clarke to wear one of the new-look helmets.
Injury-hit RCB and Delhi look to outshine each other.
'He is a unique bowler. The guys is about 25-26 and this is where he is going to get maturity'
Rafael Nadal has pulled out of next week's ATP Tour Finals in London due to injury, so Novak Djokovic will end the year as world number one having returned to the top of the rankings on Monday.
Number 11 Nuwan Pradeep survived five dramatic balls from Stuart Broad to help Sri Lanka avoid defeat after James Anderson ripped through the visitors to almost force an England win in the first Test at Lord's in London.
In what will be a dress rehearsal of their opening game in the World Cup, an unbeaten Australia take on England in the cricket tri-series final, in Perth on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Test played between England and West Indies at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.
England closed in on a series victory over West Indies after taking complete control on the third day of the second Test on Saturday. The hosts declared their first innings on 569 for six before paceman James Anderson dismissed Devon Smith, Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons as West Indies limped to 94 for three in reply.
Australia's opening batsman Chris Rogers has survived a stiff examination from his bowling teammates in the nets but expects England's pacemen to come even harder at him in the wake of his dizzy spell that forced him to retire at Lord's.
England opener Michael Carberry looks set to make his Ashes debut next week after being included in the team to face an Invitational XI in a warm-up match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
England fast bowler Stuart Broad, who suffered a fractured nose on Saturday, was named in an unchanged 13-man squad for the fifth and final Test against India at the Oval in London next week.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane conceded that the batsmen committed mistakes under challenging conditions as India were bowled out for just 107 runs in the first innings of the rain-affected second Test against England, at Lord's, on Friday.
England moved towards victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka whose batsmen showed sufficient resolve on Sunday to push the game into a fourth day if not affect a result that still seems inevitable.
Skipper Virat Kohli scored his 23rd Test century as a dominant India took giant strides towards victory in the third Test against England.
Following is a factbox on the first Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Thursday:
Coach Mark Boucher appears to have brought some steel back to the South African squad as they subdued an England side battling with illness and which has recently struggled to pick up wins on the road.
Captain Kohli and Coach Shastri's selection choices for the first two Tests against England, which India lost, were bizarre. Why, for instance, did they drop Umesh Yadav and include Kuldeep Yadav for a seaming track at Lord's? Instinct, gentlemen, can't overrule logic. Time we helped Messrs Kohli and Shastri pick the side for the Trent Bridge Test. What changes must India make for the must-win third Test?
Kolkata Knight Riders would look to usher in a fresh era under new captain Dinesh Karthik with a victory when they open their Indian Premier League campaign against heavyweights Royal Challengers Bangalore, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
While multiple-time world champions and Champions Trophy winners Australia are always a tough nut to crack, New Zealand will enter the game at Edgbaston with renewed confidence after their six-wicket warm-up win over Sri Lanka at the same venue.
The new 100-ball format tournament was launched on Thursday, with eight new city-based teams officially named and the first batch of players allocated, including England's red-ball contracted players.
Uncapped Test duo Simon Kerrigan and Chris Woakes have been named in England's 14-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes contest against Australia, starting at The Oval on Wednesday.
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