No Ben Stokes? No problem.
Captain Joe Root insists he isn't sweating on Ben Stokes' rumoured arrival, saying England are more than capable of defending the Ashes urn without the match-winning allrounder.
Stokes is reportedly set to find out this week whether he will be charged by police for his involvement in a Bristol street brawl in September which left a man hospitalised with facial injuries.
There are suggestions Stokes will be cleared by police and the England and Wales Cricket Board, possibly in time to join the squad ahead of the second Test in Adelaide.
Root admitted Stokes would be a "big miss" for them in the first Test from Thursday in Brisbane but was adamant they had the squad to clinch their first Ashes series in Australia since 2010-11.
"I think if you asked any captain in the world in any form of cricket 'would you prefer to have Ben Stokes in your squad?' ... they would all say yes," Root said.
"We are very fortunate to have him as an English player and what he has produced for England has been spectacular.
"He is someone who can win you a game within a session with both bat and ball and, of course, he will be a big miss to us.
"But we have prepared well with the group we have and that is completely out of our control."
Stokes has ramped up speculation he will soon link with England by posting Instagram videos of himself bowling at full tilt and hitting back at Matthew Hayden on Twitter for saying England were a team of no-names.
"Until we know further what the situation is with him, we have to get on with things with the group we have," Root said.
"I am more than happy with the squad we have got.
"We are more than capable of winning the series."
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believed it would be great for the series if Stokes did eventually join the England squad.
"At the end of the day, it would great to see him play," he said.
"It would be great for the series. Everybody wants to see him play.
"He's one of the outstanding players in world cricket.
"But we'll wait and see what the investigation brings.
"Who knows? It seems like the story changes every day."
