Australia and England have announced their playing XI for the first Ashes Test against England, set to begin on Friday in Perth.
The squad includes two debutants, Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett, while Marnus Labuschagne returns to the side.
Australia will field two new faces in the Ashes opener. Jake Weatherald is set to open alongside Usman Khawaja, bringing his aggressive style from first-class cricket where he has scored over 5,300 runs at an average of 37.47.
Brendan Doggett joins the bowling attack, replacing injured seamer Pat Cummins and fellow pacer Josh Hazlewood. Doggett has taken 190 wickets at 26.46 in 50 first-class matches, earning his reward for consistent performances in the Sheffield Shield.
Marnus Labuschagne has been recalled to bat at No.3, prompting Cameron Green to move to the middle order. Stand-in captain Steve Smith will lead the team, with Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Scott Boland completing the squad.
Australia’s XI for first test:
Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett
Stand-in skipper Steve Smith is expected to officially confirm the lineup during a media briefing on Thursday afternoon.
England’s squad for the Ashes opener
England has also announced a 12-man squad for the first Test, which begins at 02:20 GMT on Friday. Captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum may confirm the final XI at the toss.Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Mark Wood
England’s selection strategy under Stokes and McCullum often involves finalizing the XI close to the toss, so fans can expect last-minute confirmations.
