AUS vs ENG, Ashes 2025: England Opt To Bat First Against Australia; Check Pitch Report, Perth Weather Update

Ashes Live Telecast In India: England, under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, have won the toss and elected to bat first against Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth. England have roped in both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in the playing XI, suggesting that the side wants to go all out with a potent pace attack against the Aussies.

On the other hand, Australia named their player XI on Thursday, with Brendan Doggett making his debut for Australia. A historic debut for the pacer as well as for Australia. This is the first time that two Indigenous players will feature in a Test XI for Australia.

Perth Weather Report: According to the official broadcaster, the weather is expected to remain pleasant throughout the Test, with no rain interruptions. Additionally, the temperatures are expected to remain between 19 and 27 degrees Celsius.

Also Read: AUS vs ENG 1st Test Day 1 Live Scorecard

Perth Pitch Report: Expect the ball to seam around due to moisture in the pitch. With the sun shining at Perth, the pitch will get drier as the match progresses. Cracks will open in the surface which will make batting tougher as the game goes on.

Ben Stokes at the toss: "We’re going to have a bat. You take in as much information as you can, especially at a venue that doesn’t host a lot of cricket. We’ll try to get some runs on the board and see where we are at the end of it. It’s been a long build-up, as it always is before an Ashes series. Now that we’re finally here, the whole group - players, support staff, and I’m sure all our fans out here feel exactly the same. We can’t wait to get going. That’s the team we've decided on. Really excited (to see Wood and Archer together). Woody’s had a bit of time out with injury, but he’s over that now; he’s worked incredibly hard for a long period. He’s absolutely raring to go, and so are Joff and the rest of the lads this week."

Steven Smith at the toss: "I would have had a bat as well. Hopefully it seams all over the place this morning. I think the cracks will come into play; they seem to every year. That was probably the rationale behind batting first. If we get the ball in the right areas this morning, there’ll definitely be enough in it. Obviously, they’re big losses (Cummins and Hazlewood), but we’ve got to deal with what we’ve got. We’ve still got a couple of quality performers. Scott Boland, every time he’s had an opportunity, he’s been outstanding. And Brendan Doggett’s been amazing in Shield cricket for the last few years; he fully deserves this opportunity."

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Australia Men's Cricket Team vs England Cricket Team Players:

Australia (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland

England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood