England Cricket Board (ECB) on November 19 announced their 12-member squad for the first Test of the Ashes 2025-26 at Perth Stadium. Young batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell, Josh Tongue and Will Jacks did are set to warm the bench. England will take a call on which pacer to drop or keep Shoaib Bashir in the final playing eleven later.
England’s squad for Perth Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Is Wood ready to go?
The reason behind not announcing the playing eleven straightaway might be a concern around Wood’s fitness. Absent from the side for a long time due to injury, Wood had an injury scare during the intra-squad warm-up game. Later, the scans cleared him of an injury and he was bowling with full steam in the nets.
Which bowler will make it to playing XI?
If England go with an all out pace attack, Shoaib Bashir will be dropped. But Stokes may back the young off-spinner. In that case either Brydon Carse or Gus Atkinson will sit out, given Wood is fit to play.
Australia's squad for first Test
Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Jake Weatherald, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Michael Neser, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc.
What will be Australia's playing XI for Perth Test?
Australia face a conundrum from top to bottom. Their pace attack is depleted in absence of an injured Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott. While Scott Boland is a promiment pacer, Brendan Doggett is likely to get his baggy green. A call on Jake Weatherald is yet to be taken. Also, whether Marnus Labuschagne or Cameron Green abts at no.3. Australian team management has to find answers to a lot of questions ahead of the Ashes 2025-26 opener.