The English team has opted for a twelve-player selection just 48 hours before the first Ashes Test, with Shoaib Bashir securing a unexpected spot.
Bashir's selection indicates that the visiting team will delay until the morning of the first Test to decide whether Perth Stadium conditions suit a pace-heavy attack or the inclusion of a spinner.
Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are included in the 12-man group, showing there are no doubts about either pace bowler’s fitness.
Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse round out the attack, with the latter most likely to be omitted if the spinner enters the final team.
Pitch Factors Lean Toward Pace Bowlers
The England coach had been expected to choose an pace-only lineup on a venue that has staged five previous Tests.
During these matches, the majority of dismissals have fallen to pace bowling, with only a small number to spin.
Of those spin dismissals, Australia’s Nathan Lyon has taken the bulk, while overseas slow bowlers combined have only eight.
At a venue renowned for its pace and bounce, and whose groundsman, the pitch preparer, stated that these traits are “a mainstay and not going to change,” a team relying on fast bowlers is still the more likely decision.
Alternative Choices Weighed
Previously there was rumors that the all-rounder could be parachuted into the team to offer some slow bowling while additionally bolstering the lower order.
But the coach has opted to keep faith with Bashir, having said previously that he would be his preferred slow bowler for the Ashes.
In July, Lyon described the English spinner as “OK,” saying that “from my perspective, the experienced spinner is still the English best spinner.”
“It is a massive role, and it can be a significant test for bowlers who haven’t done it in the past in Australian pitches,” he remarked of spin bowling in Australian Tests.
“I’m not going to let my secrets out so they come out and perform well out here.”
English 12-man Squad for First Ashes Test
- The Captain
- The Pace Bowler
- Gus Atkinson
- Shoaib Bashir
- The Batsman
- The Fast Bowler
- Zak Crawley
- Ben Duckett
- The Middle-Order
- Joe Root
- Jamie Smith (wk)
- The Speedster
