Why have England and Australia players got shirt numbers in The Ashes, and what are they?

JOE ROOT's men are on a quest to win back the urn.

After a thrashing Down Under in 2017-18, England are back on home soil and begin their Ashes quest at fortress Edgbaston - and you might have noticed a drastic change to the traditional whites...

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Why have players got shirt numbers in The Ashes?

TEST cricket is steeped in tradition and cricket whites are an integral part of that.

For 142 years, players in the international game have worn white shirts and trousers, free of shirt numbers or names.

But in this year's Ashes series, that has changed with players from both sides donning whites emblazoned with their surnames and a chosen number.

Fans of County cricket know that this has been the case for years, but the sudden change may be jarring to some traditionalists.

The ECB hope that by introducing names on the back of shirts will help fans in the stands and at home to quickly identify who is who on the field.

In ODI cricket, names on shirt have been the norm for the last 30 years or so.

Coloured uniforms worn in the 1992 World Cup were the first to feature player names, while squad numbers were added in 1999.

The Ashes series is part of the new World Test Championship, which will run over the next two years and is designed by the ICC to make Test cricket more accessible and exciting for a new audience.

What are England squad numbers for the Ashes?