Perth, Nov 20: Mark Wood has been cleared to play and is likely to participate against Australia in the first Ashes Test on Friday. England have kept their options flexible by including off-spinner Shoaib Bashir alongside five fast bowlers as they named their 12-man squad on Wednesday for the opening game.If England choose an all-pace bowling attack, consisting of four specialist fast bowlers plus all-rounder Ben Stokes, it would likely be the quickest group of bowlers they have fielded in an Ashes Test on this soil.
The final selection probably comes down to off-spinner Bashir or seamer Brydon Carse.
Since the pitch is expected to provide pace and bounce, the visitors might as well continue with their traditional strategy of relying solely on a pace attack.
Tourists have also observed a dryness on the pitch, making Bashir a contender. In this venue’s brief history of hosting five Tests, Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon is the top wicket-taker with 29.
Meanwhile, Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald will become men’s Baggy Green cap numbers 472 and 473 respectively after Steve Smith confirmed the pair would debut in the NRMA Insurance Ashes series opener at Perth Stadium.
Australia will field multiple debutants in an Ashes Test for the first time since the 2010-11 New Year’s Test when Usman Khawaja and Michael Beer played their first games.
Australia XI for first Test: Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland
Almost 15 years on, Khawaja will have his seventh opening partner since his Test return in 2022 in Weatherald, the 31-year-old left-hander who was last summer’s leading Sheffield Shield run scorer.
Doggett, also 31, has earned his maiden international cap on the back of equally impressive domestic form. He has shadowed the Test squad over the past 18 months and gets his chance with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood both injured.