England Announce Squad For 1st Test At Perth With A Major Twist; Check Details

England VS Australia Ashes: Ben Stokes Led Side Announce Squad For 1st Test At Perth With A Major Twist; Check Details

The original 16-man Ashes squad has now been reduced to 12.

England have decided to keep their plans under wraps this time. Instead of revealing their playing XI ahead of schedule as they usually do, the Ben Stokes-led team has named only a 12-member group for the opening Ashes Test against Australia. The much-awaited series begins on Friday, 22 November, at Perth Stadium. The original 16-man Ashes squad has now been reduced to 12. Will Jacks, Jacob Bethell, Matthew Potts, and Josh Tongue are the players who have missed out.

There had been plenty of talk that England might opt for an all-pace attack for the first Test, especially with expectations of a green seaming pitch. But the inclusion of Shoaib Bashir in the 12 suggests that the final call on whether a spinner plays will be made on the morning of the match.

ALSO READ - IPL 2026 Captains: Ravindra Jadeja To Lead RR, KL Rahul To Captain KKR, Know Predicted Captains For MI, CSK, RR, PBKS, SRH, RCB, KKR, DC, LSG, GT

Add Zee News as a Preferred Source

About Optus Stadium

Optus Stadium curator Isaac McDonald has already promised a surface offering pace and bounce for the series opener. Early visuals seemed to match the predictions of a lively, green wicket. However, as reported by the BBC, England believe the pitch looks slightly drier than anticipated, which is why they have not ruled out using a spin option. The team has also chosen to continue backing Ollie Pope at number 3. His record in Australia remains modest, with an average of 11 from three Tests, yet he strengthened his case in the warm-up fixture against the Lions by scoring a century and a ninety after England arrived in Perth.

Concerns around Mark Wood's fitness added to the uncertainty. The fast bowler, returning from a long injury break, underwent scans after bowling 8 overs in the warm-up match. Fortunately for England, he was cleared and later seen bowling at full pace during training on Tuesday.

As things stand, Jacob Bethell will have to wait for his opportunity. But if Pope struggles in the opening games, the highly rated left-hander is expected to enter the selection conversation.

England's 12-man squad for the first Ashes Test
Ben Stokes captain, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith wicketkeeper, Mark Wood

Source: ZeeNews
Related Posts: Bollywood's 'original he-man' Dharmendra dies at 89 after starring in more than 300 films Aamir reveals original story of Dhoom 3 Why the ‘L’ in the original logo is ‘Green’ Kuch Toh Original Kar Lo Reply to plea of Karisma Kapoor's kids to inspect dad's original alleged will Neena Gupta's gripping thriller is stronger than the original Original Sin canceled - Why Paramount scrapped show Original Harry Potter's Timothy defends reboot series