🔗 Share this article

England have maintained flexibility for the initial Ashes match by selecting slow bowler Bashir in a twelve-player team combined with five fast bowlers

Mark Wood is declared fit and seems set to play versus the Aussies in Western Australia on the weekend, with the last selection possibly involving spinner Bashir and pace bowler Brydon Carse

Ground Situation

If England opt for an fast bowling unit - four main pacers plus all-rounder Ben Stokes - it would possibly be the fastest group of bowlers they have deployed in an Ashes match in this country

Recently WA pitch curator McDonald said to look for "speed and bounce" from the wicket at Perth Stadium, and it looks possible the tourists will stick to a traditional approach of an exclusively pace attack

Yet the visitors have also noted a dryness to the wicket, bringing the off-spinner into consideration

Spinning Options

During the brief existence of this venue - five earlier Tests have been played here - Australian spin bowler Nathan Lyon is the most successful bowler with 29

England have supported Bashir, 22, as their first-choice spinner for over twelve months and in recent months he was recognized as the most youthful English bowler to reach half-century of wickets in Test matches

Yet he has not played a official match after taking the concluding scalp in a exciting triumph over India in the third Test at Lord's in recently

Current Concerns

Bashir has been suffering from a hand problem and found it difficult in England's only warm-up match against the Lions, returning overall statistics of two wickets for 151 runs from twenty-four overs

This creates the prospect of the spinner playing in an Ashes match without being attached to a domestic team

His contract at Somerset expired at the end of the home summer

Probable Team

Nevertheless, an English side featuring Wood, Archer, Gus Atkinson, leader Ben Stokes and Carse - each of whom are capable of reaching 90 miles per hour - continues to be the expected conclusion

The initial game begins at 2:20 AM GMT on Friday, with real-time updates, Test Match Special commentary and in-play highlights provided

Team Selection

Team lineup for initial Ashes match: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Stokes (captain), Smith (wk), Atkinson, Carse, Mark Wood, Archer, Bashir

Team Background

Although a number of English Ashes victories at home and abroad have been founded on quick bowling, they have not previously selected as multiple quick bowlers in the same team

The team that triumphed at home in the celebrated contest of that year contained Steve Harmison, Jones and Andrew Flintoff

The captain's triumphant visitors to Australia in 1970-71 had Willis, Peter Lever and John Snow, and the visiting team that triumphed in those seasons contained Statham and Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson

Modern Context

On this occasion - among the most highly anticipated Ashes series in recent years - the visitors are hoping to reverse an poor history - they have been unable to secure a Test in the host country since over a decade ago

Merely five individuals of the extended squad have participated in a international Test in Australia, but Atkinson says that could help the visitors

"This might be an positive," he told the press

"There have been a numerous athletes who have said they have had difficult experiences in this country

"Regarding our team, we are a quite calm, very positive squad

"No negative experiences

"It's very exciting

"Everyone considers it a great possibility to achieve something remarkable"

Host Team Situation

The host team's net session on Wednesday was temporarily interrupted by the possibility of bad weather

The hosts are probably going to give a debut to opener Jack Weatherald, with new fast bowler Doggett also being included following fitness concerns to skipper Pat Cummins and fellow seamer Hazlewood