The series opener of the Ashes from Perth will kickstart a very special mission for Stokes. With England yet to win a Test in Australia since their 3-1 series there back in 2010/11, a series win will prove to the world the true potential and power of his 'Bazball' brand of cricket which his
England's batting core, led by legend Joe Root, will be chasing several milestones in the Ashes series, with the first Test beginning on Friday at Perth's Optus Stadium.
The 35-year-old Mitchell Starc has not missed a Test since he broke his finger on Boxing Day in 2022. The left-arm pacer took his 400th Test wicket in Australia's last Test match in July.
The 12-member squad features speedster Mark Wood and off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Veteran all-rounder Ben Stokes will captain the Three Lions, with star batter Harry Brook being named as vice-captain.
Having opened in 2018, Optus Stadium in Perth has missed two international cricket seasons due to Covid, and the stadium is a relatively new Test venue with no consistent trend established yet.
Steve Smith gave the Australian camp a real scare after appearing to injure his wrist but the good news is that the captain seems to have avoided anything serious
Former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting has revealed his preferred Australian line-up for the first Ashes Test against England, scheduled to be played in Perth on Friday.
"Players that are on our long list, 55, 60 players, to reach out to them, be in touch with them, explain to them why they were not here. Explain to them what they have to do, where they can improve," he added.
A day after reaching Perth, Smith and wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey were spotted carrying out a pitch inspection that troubled the hosts last year, when India secured a 295-run win at the same venue in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with the pace superstar Jasprit Bumrah taki
Jake Weatherald enjoyed his first training hit in Aussie colours ahead of the first Ashes Test against England, scheduled to begin on Friday at Optus Stadium in Perth.