Australia
England
The Ashes 2025/26 will begin on November 21. Australia and England will play the series opener at Perth Stadium. England will enter unfamiliar conditions as they will play their first-ever Test at this venue. Australia will return with a point to prove after their 295-run defeat to India here last summer.
Expect the toss to play a major role at this venue. Captains who won the toss in all 5 Tests at Perth have chosen to bat first and won every time. Australia will start the series on top of the 2025–27 WTC standings after their 3-0 sweep against West Indies. England are in sixth position after their 2-2 home draw against India.
Australia are unbeaten in the last 4 Ashes series and have won their last 3 series at home. England will still draw confidence from being unbeaten in their last 3 Tests with 2 wins and 1 draw against Australia.
England’s opening pair of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley is a more proven combination compared to Australia’s uncertain and potentially inexperienced new opening pair.
The betting tip is...
Highest Opening Partnership - England
57 %
43 %
AustraliaEnglandJosh Hazlewood will miss the match with a hamstring injury, and Pat Cummins will remain unavailable as he recovers from lumbar stress. Scott Boland will replace Cummins, and Brendan Doggett will be in line for a debut. Doggett will become the first Australian fast bowler to debut in Tests since Boland in 2021. Steve Smith will captain the side in Cummins’ absence.
Michael Neser will join the squad as fast-bowling cover after Sean Abbott was ruled out with a hamstring strain. Sam Konstas was dropped after scoring 161 runs at 20.12 in 4 Sheffield Shield rounds, but could return later.
Australia still need to finalise their top order. Jake Weatherald will push for a debut, while Marnus Labuschagne will return after scoring 5 centuries in domestic cricket. Nathan Lyon is 2 wickets behind McGrath’s Test tally.
Khawaja, Labuschagne and Smith are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland.
England has a largely settled top order. The only decision will be at No. 3 between Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell. Bethell will push his case after scoring 3 half-centuries, including 96, on debut in New Zealand. Pope has strengthened his claim with a century in the warm-up match. Bethell played England’s last Test at The Oval, while Pope scored a century in that series and added 71 in the fourth Test.
Harry Brook will take over as vice-captain and will enter with an average of 57 across 30 Tests. Joe Root will arrive with 13,543 Test runs and will aim for his first century in Australia.
Jofra Archer will return for his first Test in Australia since 2019 after taking 9 wickets against India earlier this year and producing a 3-23 spell against New Zealand last month. Mark Wood will be fit after knee surgery, while Atkinson, Tongue and Carse will add depth. Shoaib Bashir will lead the spin attack.
Root, Duckett and Pope are the key batters.
Predicted Lineup: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
Expect a competitive start to the series, but the opening exchanges may tilt slightly in England's favour. Australia will enter with uncertainty at the top as they decide between Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne to partner Usman Khawaja. Weatherald will be on debut, and Labuschagne has not opened regularly in Tests.
England will arrive with a more stable pair in Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. Both have opened together many times in the past and know how to handle new-ball situations. Their experience will help them settle quickly and build a stronger partnership. Australia hold the edge overall at home, but the early overs may favour England’s batting.
