BIRMINGHAM: England have added pace bowlers Liam Plunkett and Mark Footitt to a 14-man squad announced Saturday for next week's fourth Ashes Test against Australia at Trent Bridge.

Yorkshire quick Plunkett, who played the last of his 13 Tests against India in July 2014 and uncapped Derbyshire left-armer Footitt have both been included after England spearhead James Anderson was ruled out with a side injury.

“With James Anderson missing this Test through injury and some concerns over Mark Wood's workload in the build-up to the last Test, we felt that bringing in two extra bowlers in Liam Plunkett and Mark Footitt was necessary,” said national selector James Whitaker in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement.

“The reports on Wood are positive at this stage and we are hopeful he'll be available for selection on Thursday,” he added.

Anderson, England's most successful Test bowler with 413 Test wickets, took an Ashes-best six for 47 in the first innings of the third Test at Edgbaston — a match England won by eight wickets and inside three days to go 2-1 up in the five-match series.

But the second innings of the match saw Anderson suffer a side strain which means the Trent Bridge specialist won't be involved when England make the short trip across the Midlands from Birmingham to Nottingham, where the fourth Test begins on Thursday.

England also have Durham fast bowler Mark Wood in their squad.

Wood missed the third Test with an ankle injury, his absence paving the way for Steven Finn to take a Test-best six for 79 in Australia's second innings at Edgbaston in what was the Middlesex fast bowler's first match at this level since 2013.

Meanwhile opener Adam Lyth was set to keep his place, despite averaging just 12 this series, after England decided against calling up any more specialist batsmen.

England squad for fourth Test:

Adam Lyth, Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Steven Finn, Liam Plunkett, Mark Footitt and Adil Rashid.