Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler will be given a break following their World Cup heroics and will miss England’s first ever Test match against Ireland.
Despite his own involvement in the weekend's World Cup triumph, Test captain Joe Root will lead the side as normal at Lord’s in the four-day match starting next Wednesday. But two of his most important players are being saved for the Ashes.
It means Stokes and Buttler won't play any red-ball cricket ahead of the first Test against Australia, which begins at Edgbaston on August 1.
But such were the physical and emotional demands on them in the World Cup - and Sunday's epic final, in particular - that England management have told them to put their feet up for a while and start again in Birmingham.
Both Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow’s involvement against Ireland are dependent on medical reports regarding Roy’s hamstring and Bairstow’s shoulder and groin injuries, with the former more likely to be included than the latter.
Other members of the World Cup squad will be back in action from Thursday, with Moeen Ali returning for Worcestershire in the T20 Blast and Hampshire duo James Vince and Liam Dawson set to play in the same competition on Friday.
There will be no such exertions for England’s World Cup bowlers, who are all out of action for the foreseeable future.
Pace duo Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes will get involved with England’s Ashes squads at some stage, although most likely not before the second Test.
The same goes for Mark Wood, who could spend a lengthy period on the sidelines after appearing to pick up a side injury during the tournament to go with his troublesome left ankle.
It all means that England will be fielding a very-much-weakened Test side for the four-day game against the men in green, with bowler James Anderson also under a fitness cloud.
