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The English side has kept their options open for the series opener by naming spin bowler the young spinner in a twelve-player team alongside five fast bowlers

Mark Wood has been passed fit and seems set to play facing the hosts in Perth Stadium on the weekend, with the last selection possibly involving spinner Bashir and seamer Brydon Carse

Pitch Conditions

If England opt for an pace-only bowling lineup - four main pacers plus multi-skilled player Stokes - it would potentially be the most rapid assembly of bowlers they have fielded in an Ashes Test in the host nation

On Wednesday Western Australia pitch curator the curator said to anticipate "fast and bouncy conditions" from the wicket at the stadium, and it appears probable the tourists will adhere to a established strategy of an exclusively pace attack

However the English team have also spotted a arid quality to the pitch, putting the off-spinner into consideration

Spin Considerations

In the short history of the ground - five prior matches have been hosted here - Australia off-spinner Lyon is the most successful bowler with twenty-nine

The English management have backed the young spinner, twenty-two, as their primary spin option for more than a year and in May he achieved the youngest England bowler to achieve half-century of wickets in international Tests

Yet he has not played a official match after taking the concluding scalp in a exciting triumph over the Indian team in the third match at the famous ground in recently

Recent Challenges

The spinner has been out with a hand problem and found it difficult in the single preparation match against the Lions, posting overall statistics of two wickets for 151 runs from twenty-four overs

This creates the possibility of him competing in an Test against Australia without being attached to a first-class side

The agreement at Somerset concluded at the end of the home summer

Likely Lineup

Still, an English side featuring Mark Wood, Archer, Gus Atkinson, captain Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse - all of whom are capable of reaching 90 miles per hour - remains the probable result

The initial game starts at early morning GMT on the weekend, with live text coverage, Test Match Special commentary and live action clips provided

England Squad

Team lineup for first Ashes Test: Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Brook, Stokes (leader), Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Carse, Wood, Archer, Shoaib Bashir

Past Experience

Although a number of England Ashes triumphs at domestically and internationally have been built on pace, they have not previously selected as many express pace bowlers in the identical lineup

The side that triumphed at in England in the memorable competition of 2005 included Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Flintoff

Illingworth's winning English side to Australia in 1970-71 had Willis, Lever and Snow, and the English side that triumphed in those seasons contained Brian Statham and Tyson

Modern Context

On this occasion - potentially the most exciting England-Australia contests in recent memory - the visitors are looking to overturn an poor history - they have failed to win a five-day game in the host country since over a decade ago

Merely five individuals of the sixteen-player group have participated in a Test in the host nation, but Atkinson says that could benefit the English team

"This could represent an positive," he told the press

"We've seen a numerous athletes who have mentioned they have had challenging periods down under

"In our case, we are a extremely composed, extremely confident squad

"No negative experiences

"It's thrilling

"We all see it as a massive chance to achieve something remarkable"

Host Team Situation

Australia's net session on Wednesday was temporarily interrupted by the threat of lightning

The home side are expected to give a debut to batsman Weatherald, with uncapped fast bowler Brendan Doggett also coming in following health issues to captain Cummins and colleague Hazlewood