England give conditional approval to Ashes series

England bosses have given the green light for this winter's Ashes tour.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has issued a statement that will pave the way for the blue-chip series to start as scheduled in Brisbane on December 8.

England captain Joe Root last week refused to confirm he would tour Australia, while opposing counterpart Tim Paine had suggested the tourists would pitch up for the series with or without their talisman skipper. AP BS BS

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