JAMES Vince has been handed a shock England recall for this winter’s Ashes series in Australia.

The 26-year-old, from Steeple Ashton, was named in Trevor Bayliss’ squad to head Down Under in November.

The Hampshire captain, who is averaging 33.11 with the bat in the County Championship this season, made his England Test debut last summer and has won seven caps over two series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

However, the former Wiltshire batsman struggled for form in the Test arena and could only manage 212 runs over 11 innings at an average of 19.27 and was subsequently dropped from the squad.

Yet, with England struggling to solve their problem at number five, Bayliss will be hoping that Vince’s previous international experience will help over the five Test series.

England national selector James Whittaker said: "After a successful summer, having won the Test series against South Africa and West Indies, there is real competition for places and we have selected a squad that will work hard and compete against Australia, aiming to win the Ashes.

"The selectors are backing James Vince to make an impact on his recall to the Test squad - he is a quality strokeplayer and we believe his game will suit the Australian pitches.

"His understanding of the England set-up will help him settle into the environment quickly and hit the ground running when we arrive in Perth next month."

England squad: Joe Root, Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, Dawid Malan, Gary Ballance, James Vince, Moeen Ali, Mason Crane, Ben Foakes, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jake Ball, Craig Overton.