The day that kickstarts the most eagerly anticipated Ashes series since … the last one in 2023 has arrived with Australia and England to begin proceedings in Perth at 10.20am (or 1.20pm AEST) on a warm day under blue skies.
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The two nations finalised their preparations in humid conditions on Thursday after stand-in skipper Steve Smith confirmed Australia would field two debutants in a Test for the first time since January, 2019.
Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald add an element of mystery to a series that shapes as the final home Ashes for several Australian champions, while judgement day has arrived for Bazball as England seek to reclaim the Urn.
Fox Cricket canvasses the big talking points leading into the first Test at Perth Stadium.
WHO WILL TAKE THE NEW BALL ALONGSIDE STARC?
With Australia missing champion bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Smith has some thinking to do when it comes to deciding who will take the new ball alongside Mitch Starc.
Does he opt for the newcomer Doggett or the experienced hand in Scott Boland? While the Aussie skipper did not divulge the answer on Thursday, former speedster Brett Lee believes it could help settle any nerves Doggett might feel.
“Would I give him the brand new ball? Maybe that’s the best thing for his nerves,” Lee said at the launch of the Kayo Sports Beach outside Perth Stadium on Thursday.
“Maybe it might be best if they lose the toss and they go to bowl first, that Steve Smith might go, ‘Alright mate, it’s time to get the nerves away. Take the brand new ball and shape a few away.’
“It’s not like he’s just been picked out of the blue. He’s been around the squad now for a long, long time, so he’s trained with the guys and he knows the guys very well personally.
“He’s had a couple of really good Sheffield Shield series back to back, so he’s done the work. He’s (earned the) opportunity. But when you walk out there tomorrow at 10 o’clock, whenever they start, then all that hard work has now got to be transformed. (He has to) take that nervous energy, take that pressure, take that opportunity and hopefully he gets a bag of wickets.”
Doggett, who will become the third cricketer of Indigenous heritage to wear the Baggy Green after Boland and Jason Gillespie, has appeared at ease in the nets over the past few days at Perth Stadium.
The former Toowoomba chippy combined with veterans Starc and Nathan Lyon in a spirited net session on Wednesday in which they put his fellow debutant Weatherald, the veteran Khawaja and all-rounder Cameron Green to the test.
Doggett first toured with Australia back in 2018 and Starc, who was alongside him at the time, said the South Australian domestic representative has matured a lot since then in both his bowling and also his personality.
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“I remember that tour back in the UAE. I think it was myself, Ness (Michael Neser), Doggett and (Peter) Siddle were on that Pakistan series in the UAE,” Starc said.
“Obviously Brendan was a lot younger and rawer then, but we knew what he was about. And since then he’s made the change to South Australia.
“I think he’s come in red hot. He’s had a good couple of weeks and we, as a group, know what he’s capable of and the skills that he presents.
“And being a little bit older than back in 2018, he’s probably a little bit more comfortable in his own skin and around the group. So I’m really excited … to see what he can do in the Test arena. And having had him around the group for a while over the years, I think he’s certainly in a great headspace.”
Alex Carey has played alongside Doggett for South Australia and said his domestic form has been remarkable.
“He is a fantastic teammate, really experienced and bowling as well as he ever has,” he said.
“I think we look at his last five first class games, he’s taken four five fors. So he comes into this squad with great form. He should have great confidence.
“He won us the Sheffield shield final last year and again started this season really well. He’s got his body to a level to back up and continue to play lots of cricket. And if he does get his chance, I think this wicket will suit him so.
“And he’s not new to the squad either. He was around the World Test Championship. He’s been in a number of squads and I think that’s the exciting part for players coming in. There’s lots of exposure before they play international cricket.
“And even with Jake Weatherald in the squad, lots of guys know him and have played a lot against him, so it feels like they’ve all slotted in really well. And whichever 11 it is, it’s a team that’s in form and, I feel like, ready to play some good cricket.”
Smith, who was uncertain whether or not he had played against Doggett when he was representing Queensland as a youngster, has noted he is now a more refined bowler than when he first toured with Australia.
“He is very skilful. I think he’s improved a hell of a lot the last few years, and I’m excited to see him go about his business,” Smith said.
“I have faced him in the nets here and he gets the ball down at nice pace and stands the seam up. His lengths are really good.
(He has) everything you need for a surface like that out there.
“Hopefully tomorrow (Friday) or the day after, whenever we bowl, he can get the ball in the areas we know that he can and if he does that, I’m sure he’s going to create plenty of chances.”
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KHAWAJA’S LAST PARTNER… OR DOES A WILDCARD OPTION LOOM?
If it remains uncertain whether Doggett will take the new ball, it is clear Jake Weatherald will be in the action as soon as Australia bats, be it on the first or second day. And it shapes to be a baptism of fire.
Should the Northern Territorian succeed, he will be Usman Khawaja’s last opening partner after a merry-go-round that has unfolded since David Warner retired almost two years ago as Australia cycled through the options.
Steve Smith, Nathan McSweeney, Sam Konstas, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne have all been tried at the top of the order
But the left-hander, who is Khawaja’s sixth partner in that time, faces a challenging opening to his Test career given the pace and bounce Perth Stadium will provide English duo Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, according to Lee.
While Lee is firmly in Australia’s corner, he is also a fast bowler by nature and cannot wait to see just how fast and furious the English combination will be on a wicket that is expected to be pacy and bouncy.
“I’ve been talking them up now for a couple of months. I’ve been (really) looking forward to this and actually can’t wait till tomorrow starts,” Lee said.
“And … if England get the chance to bowl first, I’m looking forward to Jofra and Mark steaming in.”
That said, Weatherald has taken every opportunity to put himself to the test this week in Perth, opting to face Australia’s best bowlers, which included Cummins as he recovers from a back problem, in the nets.
Jake Weatherald practises a shot during an Australia nets session. (Photo by Daniel Carson/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I (have) watched him bat in the nets pretty closely over the last few days and they were pretty tricky nets,” Smith said.
“(It was) fast, bouncy, and (there was) a lot of seam. And he’s got a lot of courage. He just goes in there. I don’t think he faces any of the sidearms or anything. He wants to face bowlers the entire time. And the guys were charging in, bowling fast.
“He took it on. He was getting in really good positions. And he goes about it a certain way. He’s been selected for his performances over the last 18 months, in particular, and he’s batted exceptionally well at the top of the order for Tasmania.
“Hopefully he can bring that to the Test arena. I’m really excited for him. He’s worked hard for a long period of time. And I think he’s going to compliment Uzzie pretty well up top.”
England captain Ben Stokes said newcomers always present a challenge but noted that the availability of data and video analysis in the modern age made preparing for a debutant like Weatherald an easier proposition.
“He’s gone pretty well in domestic cricket. He looks a very good player. He is very strong square of the wicket,” he said. “Obviously we’re in 2025 now, so it’s very easy to be able to access any footage and stats, data, whatever you want really, to give yourself some kind of knowledge going into a game with a new player. But he looks a real good player.”
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COULD THE MERRY-GO-ROUND AT THE TOP CONTINUE?
Weatherald, of course, is not the only batter facing a challenge, with Khawaja under the spotlight as well in what shapes as his last summer in Australia amid suggestions Mitch Marsh is an option should things go pear-shaped early in the series.
Khawaja scored a double century against Sri Lanka in February but did not pass 50 in the World Test Championship or the series in the Caribbean.
Nor did Khawaja play in the most recent Shield round but he did score 87 for Queensland against New South Wales last month.
It is now two years since Marsh, after a dominant display against Pakistan in Perth, ruled out the prospect of opening in Test cricket despite his success in the role in white ball cricket.
Having lost his spot in the Australian side last summer, and with a surplus of all-rounders, he suggested earlier this year he would be six beers deep by lunch on the first day of the series given it is in his hometown.
But his white ball form has been superb and, after coach Andrew McDonald recently said Marsh remained on the radar for Test cricket, it has been reported he will bat high in the order for Western Australia in a Shield match early in December.
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After Australia lost to India in Perth last summer, Cummins noted that there was too strong a reliance on Nos 5, 6 and 7, or Travis Head, Marsh (now Cameron Green) and Alex Carey to score runs, though he felt it was a strength of the side.
Fast forward to the Ashes and the efforts of this trio could shape the Ashes.
Fox Cricket expert analyst Adam Gilchrist cannot wait to see the tussle between Carey and England’s Jamie Smith with both the bat and the gloves.
Having been preferred to the unlucky Beau Webster, Green faces a challenge after missing the entirety of last summer due to a back problem. He has been tried with some success at No.4 in New Zealand No.3 in the West Indies, but drops back to six.
“I think I’m just so grateful that they see me as someone who can do all those positions. I’ve moved around quite a bit in the Test team, especially,” he said.
“I think that’s the beauty of bit of experience. I think we’ve gone through that seeing what worked, what didn’t, and if there’s a different way that they might want me to approach the game (at No.6).”
But the x-factor is Head, who was magnificent in the infancy of the series against India last summer when scoring a fighting 89 in the second innings in Perth last year before momentum-swinging centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane.
The left-hander, who is an all-format star, was also good in the opening Test in the Caribbean when scoring two half-centuries. But he will be hoping to sharpen up from his recent deeds in white ball cricket and on the Shield scene.
In his last ten innings across a variety of formats and different teams dating back to Australia’s ODI series in New Zealand at the start of October, Head has scored just 167 runs with a top score of 31 in Mount Maunganui.
The Aussies will be hoping the vice-captain gets his bounce back on the pacy Perth pitch given his importance to the team.
Cameron Green talks with Mitchell Starc. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
WILL ENGLAND OPT FOR ALL-OUT PACE OR PLAY THEIR SPINNER?
Former English star Isa Guha is red hot on the importance of spin in Australia and noted on Thursday at the launch of the Kayo Sports Beach outside Perth Stadium how much Nathan Lyon enjoys playing on pitches with bounce.
The Aussie off-spinner, whose importance to Australia was underscored during his absence for the last three Tests of the most recent Ashes series after he injured a calf muscle at Lord’s, has been lively in the nets in Perth this week.
He has not bowled as much under Cummins in recent years and there is the question as to whether England attempt to go after him given their Bazball philosophy, but Smith said on Thursday he believes Lyon can be used in a number of ways.
“Nathan, obviously, I think he’s done really well out here. He bowls nicely when the wicket is bouncing,” Smith said.
“So we’ll see how the game pans out. We’ve got four seam options with Greenie there and then, when we see fit, we’ll bowl the spinner.
“We might lock him in down one end so the quicks can (rotate at the other). We will play the game in front of us. We’ll see how England try and play him and then try and play the game that’s in front of us.”
The inclusion of Shoaib Bashir in the England XII raises the prospect they are mindful spin could yet play a role in Perth, despite the certainty of pace and bounce early in the Test.
Stokes said Bashir was always going to be in the squad and Guha is backing the English skipper to help the 22-year-old find consistency in Australia.
Shoaib Bashir during the practice match between England and the Lions at Lilac Hill. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Spin is a viable strategy,” she said.
“I think Nathan Lyon has been so successful here because he gets that top spin and that over spin on the ball, so he gets the extra bounce.
“Now, Bashir is a is a tall bowler, so he can get the extra bounce, but he probably lacks in consistency. But if there’s anyone that can get the best out of him, it’s Ben.”
Whether Bashir, who was viewed as a surprise selection for the squad despite taking 68 wickets in 19 Tests, plays might depend on the faith England have in Mark Wood to be able to hold up in Perth.
Wood managed just eight overs in a trial game at Lilac Hill last week but skipper Ben Stokes said the veteran was fit to bowl and was firing deliveries down at a rapid pace in the nets this week.
“He’s flying. He’s had all his injury troubles and all that kind of stuff (and) he had his knee surgery after the Champions Trophy,” Stokes said.
“I know you guys say he’s only bowl eight overs in the game, but he’s been bowling for a long, long time. He has always been someone who can just hit the ground running in the game and he’s bowling rapidly, which is good.”
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THE LAST WORD FROM THE FOX EXPERTS
Both Brett Lee and Isa Guha were in agreement on Thursday.
With Cummins and Hazlewood missing, this is England’s great chance to get off to a flyer in the Ashes as they seek to win in Australia for the first time in 15 years and reclaim the Urn.
“I think this is England’s greatest opportunity. There’s no question about that because Hazlewood and Cummings will be back at some point,” Guha said.
“We know from teams that have come here in the past and have done well and been successful, they’ve either won that first Test or they’ve come away with the draw. Now there’s not going to be any draws in this series unless it rains. So that’s why starting well is so important for England.”
Pace, she said, is not enough. With Lee noting the importance of not getting seduced by the bounce and pace on offer in Perth, Guha said the English bowlers needed to find the right length to succeed on a ground they have never played on before.
“We’ve seen it with so many touring teams coming here. They’ve had good bowling attacks, and they haven’t necessarily got it right with the ball,” she said.
“I know they’ve got the pace and they’ve got the aggression and the intimidation factor, especially on these pitches, but … they have to get it right early, especially if it’s (got a) green tinge, in terms of the lengths that they bowl.
“We have a number of fast bowlers that we can count on if someone goes down injured. And Gus Atkinson … actually bowls a fuller length, so I think he’ll be really good on the surface. And then obviously Stokes, his fitness and what he’s been able to put in with his body, and being able to provide with bat and ball, I think, has been excellent. So it’s all set up beautifully.”
