🔗 Share this article The English team Include Shoaib Bashir in Line-up for The Ashes series Opener He has secured 68 scalps at an mean of 39 across 19 Tests England have left decisions open for the series opener by selecting spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in a 12-man squad together with five pace bowlers Wood is declared fit and seems set to play against Australia in Perth on the coming Friday, with the final decision likely between off-spinner Bashir and pace bowler Carse Ground Situation If England opt for an pace-only bowling lineup - four dedicated bowlers combined with all-rounder the captain - it would arguably be the quickest collection of pacemen they have used in an Ashes match in this country Earlier this week local wicket preparer Isaac McDonald stated to look for "pace and bounce" from the wicket at the venue, and it looks possible the tourists will adhere to a long-standing plan of an pace-only strategy Yet the English team have also noted a lack of moisture to the pitch, putting the off-spinner into the running Spinning Options Throughout the limited timeframe of the ground - five previous Tests have been staged here - Australian off-spinner Lyon is the most successful bowler with twenty-nine England have supported Shoaib, 22 years old, as their first-choice spinner for over twelve months and in spring he achieved the most youthful English bowler to achieve half-century of wickets in Test matches However he has missed a competitive game since securing the last dismissal in a thrilling win over the Indian team in the third Test at the famous ground in recently Recent Challenges He has been recovering from a broken finger and had challenges in the single preparation match against England Lions, recording overall statistics of 2 for 151 from 24 overs It also raises the possibility of him playing in an Ashes match without being contracted with a first-class side The agreement at the domestic team ended at the end of the home summer Likely Lineup However, an visiting team including Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Atkinson, leader Stokes and Carse - every one of them are likely to hit 90mph - remains the most likely outcome The first Test starts at 2:20 AM GMT on Friday, with instant commentary, expert analysis and in-play highlights accessible England Squad Team lineup for initial Ashes match: Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (skipper), Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Bashir Past Experience Although a various successful Ashes campaigns at home and abroad have been constructed around fast bowling, they have not previously used as numerous fast bowlers in the equivalent side The team that succeeded at home in the memorable competition of 2005 contained Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff Illingworth's successful touring team to Australia in those years had Willis, Lever and Snow, and the visiting team that won in those seasons included Brian Statham and Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson Current Situation In this instance - potentially the most exciting England-Australia contests in recent memory - the English team are looking to change an difficult past - they have failed to win a Test in Australia since over a decade ago Only five members of the sixteen-player group have experienced a international Test in Australia, but Atkinson comments that could help the visitors "This could represent an positive," he told reporters "We've seen a many cricketers who have stated they have had challenging periods here in Australia "In our case, we are a quite calm, extremely confident squad "No negative experiences "It's exhilarating "We all see it as a massive chance to do something special" Opposition News The Australian practice session on this week was momentarily paused by the possibility of bad weather Australia are expected to provide an opportunity to opener Weatherald, with new pace bowler Brendan Doggett also being included due to fitness concerns to skipper Cummins and teammate Hazlewood