Australia They will play against England in the first match of their tour to Australia. This article provides details about the first match of The Ashes 2025, England’s Playing XI vs Australia.
England Playing XI vs Australia – 1st Test, The Ashes 2025:
Opening pitcher: Zach Crowley, Ben Duckett
England are hoping to get off to a good start in this Ashes. Because the visitors will remember how the last series played on Australian soil started when Riley Burns was bowled on the leg with the first ball of the series.
Ben Stokes’ side will be hoping to erase their poor record, having failed to win a single Test in their last three matches since they last won the region’s Ashes in 2010.
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Having said that, England have played some good cricket in this format over the last few years, so they will be pretty confident of putting in a much improved effort, especially with the bat.
The onus will be on the opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett to get the team off to a good start and put pressure on Australia’s depleted bowling staff in the absence of captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
Both Crawley and Duckett have the ability to take matches away from their opponents once they get going and will be hoping to achieve that in the first of five Tests.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk)
Opening day teams will also want their middle order to make the most of the foundation they have laid and help the team score over 400 points. Anything below that would give Australia a chance to come back.
All eyes will be on Joe Root as he chases Australia’s first Test hundred, hoping to beat the Monkey in the first innings of the opening match and build confidence for the rest of the series.
Captain Ben Stokes, who is the only batsman in the current team to score 100 runs for Australia apart from Root, will need to lead from the front with both bat and ball to give his side a better chance of challenging for Australia.
The visiting team has a strong batting line-up including names such as Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith, but much will depend on how England’s top five batsmen perform in the first Test.
Bowlers: Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Kearse, Mark Wood
It will be interesting to see what kind of bowling combination England chooses for the series opener, as the first Test of the series will play an important role in setting the rhythm for the rest of the tour, especially for the visiting team.
Considering how far the English players have fallen throughout the 2021 series, it would be no surprise if the team management decided to go into the first Test in Perth with an all-pace attack consisting of four fast bowlers and Ben Stokes.
The four fast bowlers are expected to be Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Kearse and Mark Wood, with Ben Stokes the fifth bowling option.
But having an all-pace attack also means the visiting team may have to compromise on overrates, which they haven’t been very good at maintaining lately.