🔗 Share this article

England have kept their options open for the first Ashes Test by including off-spinner the young spinner in a squad of twelve alongside five fast bowlers

The fast bowler has recovered and is expected to participate facing the hosts in Western Australia on the coming Friday, with the last selection likely between spinner Bashir and fast bowler Brydon Carse

Wicket Factors

If England opt for an pace-only bowling lineup - four main pacers combined with multi-skilled player Stokes - it would possibly be the quickest collection of bowlers they have deployed in an Test against Australia in this country

Recently WA pitch curator McDonald commented to look for "pace and bounce" from the surface at Perth Stadium, and it seems likely the English will follow a established strategy of an exclusively pace attack

Yet the tourists have also noted a dryness to the wicket, placing the off-spinner into contention

Spinning Options

Throughout the limited timeframe of Perth Stadium - five previous Tests have been played here - Australian off-spinner Lyon is the most successful bowler with twenty-nine

England have favored the young spinner, twenty-two, as their first-choice spinner for more than a year and in spring he was recognized as the least experienced English bowler to attain fifty wickets in Test matches

However he has missed a first-class game since securing the final wicket in a dramatic victory over India in the third Test at the famous ground in summer

Recent Challenges

Bashir has been suffering from a hand problem and had challenges in the single preparation match against England Lions, recording combined figures of 2-151 from his bowling spell

It also raises the possibility of the spinner participating in an Ashes match without being attached to a domestic team

The agreement at the domestic team expired at the end of the home summer

Likely Lineup

Still, an English side featuring Wood, Jofra Archer, Atkinson, captain Stokes and Brydon Carse - all of whom are capable of reaching 90 miles per hour - continues to be the probable result

The initial game begins at 02:20 GMT on the weekend, with instant commentary, Test Match Special commentary and in-play highlights accessible

England Squad

Selected players for series opener: Duckett, Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Smith (wicketkeeper), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Archer, Shoaib Bashir

Historical Context

Although a various successful Ashes campaigns at home and abroad have been constructed around fast bowling, they have not previously used as many express pace bowlers in the identical lineup

The team that triumphed at home in the celebrated contest of 2005 Ashes included Harmison, Jones and Flintoff

Illingworth's triumphant visitors to the host nation in 1970-71 had Bob Willis, Lever and Snow, and the visiting team that triumphed in that period featured Statham and Tyson

Current Situation

In this instance - potentially the most exciting England-Australia contests in recent memory - the English team are hoping to change an poor history - they have failed to win a five-day game in the host country since that year

Only five members of the sixteen-player group have participated in a international Test in Australia, but Atkinson says that could benefit the English team

"It could be an advantage," he mentioned to the press

"We've seen a numerous athletes who have mentioned they have had difficult experiences down under

"For us, we are a quite calm, very positive squad

"No bad memories

"It's very exciting

"We all see it as a massive chance to create history"

Australian Preparations

The Australian net session on this week was briefly delayed by the possibility of bad weather

The hosts are expected to hand a first cap to opener Weatherald, with new pace bowler Doggett also being included due to health issues to captain Pat Cummins and colleague Hazlewood