Uncapped Derbyshire left-arm paceman Mark Footitt was the eye-catching selection in England's 14-man squad announced Thursday for a pre-Ashes training camp in Spain.
The camp, which will take place for four days from June 27, will also provide the England squad, led by Test skipper Alastair Cook, with a chance to meet their new Australian coach, Trevor Bayliss.
"With Trevor Bayliss arriving in the country next Thursday, Trevor, Alastair and I felt it important that both players and management likely to be involved in the early stages of the Investec Ashes have chance to meet him and fully understand his approach prior to meeting up for the start of the Test series," said director of cricket Andrew Strauss, in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement.
"With that in mind, we have arranged a preparation camp in Spain," the former Ashes-winning England captain added.
"This will involve a combination of physical and fielding sessions and planning meetings in an informal environment in order to provide the best possible lead up to the first Test in Cardiff."
Footitt apart, the squad led by Test captain Alastair Cook is made up of players who have all featured at some stage during New Zealand's tour of England.
The bulk of the 14-man party played in the 1-1 Test series draw with New Zealand, while fast bowlers Steven Finn and Liam Plunkett have both featured in the ongoing one-day series with the World Cup finalists, which concludes in Durham on Saturday.
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Footitt's inclusion comes after the 29-year-old took 82 wickets at a miserly average of just over 19 apiece for Derbyshire in the Second Division of England's first-class County Championship last season.
Even if he doesn't make the Test side, Footitt could provide England's batsmen with some high quality practice given Australia's Ashes attack is set to feature two left-arm quicks in Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc.
