🔗 Share this article

The English side has maintained flexibility for the first Ashes Test by selecting off-spinner Bashir in a twelve-player team together with five fast bowlers

Mark Wood is declared fit and is expected to participate against Australia in Western Australia on the weekend, with the final decision possibly coming down to off-spinner Bashir and seamer the seamer

Pitch Conditions

If the visitors select an all-pace attack - four specialists along with all-rounder Ben Stokes - it would possibly be the most rapid assembly of seamers they have deployed in an Test against Australia in Australia

On Wednesday Western Australia groundsman the curator commented to look for "pace and bounce" from the wicket at the venue, and it appears probable England will follow a traditional approach of an pace-only strategy

Yet the visitors have also spotted a dryness to the wicket, putting the spinner into the running

Spinning Options

Throughout the limited timeframe of the ground - five previous Tests have been hosted here - Australian off-spinner the experienced spinner is the top wicket-taker with 29 dismissals

The English management have favored Bashir, 22, as their main slow bowler for more than a year and in May he became the most youthful English bowler to attain half-century of wickets in international Tests

However he has not played a first-class game following securing the concluding scalp in a exciting triumph over the Indian team in the third Test at Lord's in recently

Current Concerns

The spinner has been suffering from a broken finger and struggled in the sole practice game against the Lions, recording match figures of 2-151 from twenty-four overs

It also raises the prospect of Bashir playing in an Ashes Test without being attached to a first-class side

The agreement at Somerset ended at the conclusion of the domestic season

Likely Lineup

Still, an English side including Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Atkinson, leader Ben Stokes and Carse - each of whom are able to achieve high speeds - stays the expected conclusion

The opening match starts at early morning GMT on the weekend, with instant commentary, expert analysis and real-time features available

Playing Group

England squad for series opener: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes (skipper), Smith (wicketkeeper), Atkinson, Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

Past Experience

Although a various England Ashes triumphs at home and abroad have been founded on quick bowling, they have never fielded as many express pace bowlers in the identical lineup

The side that triumphed at home in the memorable competition of 2005 contained Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Flintoff

Raymond Illingworth's triumphant visitors to the host nation in that era had Willis, Peter Lever and John Snow, and the England team that succeeded in those seasons featured Statham and Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson

Modern Context

On this occasion - potentially the most exciting Test series in recent years - the English team are looking to reverse an poor history - they have been unable to secure a Test in Australia since over a decade ago

Just five players of the sixteen-player group have experienced a Test in Australia, but Atkinson says that could work in England's favour

"This could represent an positive," he explained to reporters

"There are a lot of players who have mentioned they have had difficult experiences here in Australia

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

"No scarring

"It's very exciting

"Everyone considers it a huge opportunity to do something special"

Host Team Situation

The Australian training on recently was momentarily paused by the risk of storms

The hosts are probably going to give a debut to opener Jack Weatherald, with yet to debut fast bowler Doggett also joining following injuries to skipper Cummins and colleague Hazlewood