Australia have revealed their playing XI for the opening Test of the 2025–26 Ashes, which begins on Friday, November 21 in Perth. The home side finalized their squad on Thursday, November 20, confirming that 31-year-olds Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett will earn their maiden Test caps. This will be the first occasion since 2019 that Australia introduce two debutants in the same match.
It is also the first time since the 2010–11 New Year’s Test that Australia will feature more than one debutant in an Ashes encounter, when Usman Khawaja and Michael Beer made their first appearances. With Weatherald taking the opening slot, Usman Khawaja will now have his seventh different opening partner since rejoining the Test team in 2022.
Weatherald enters the match with 5,322 runs from 77 first-class games at an average of 37.47, including 26 fifties and 13 hundreds. On the bowling front, Mitchell Starc will spearhead the attack, with Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood sidelined due to injury.
Australia’s XI for the first Test: 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 Stick With Ollie Pope In Finalised XI For Ashes Series Opener
Australia named their XI for the opening Ashes Test on Thursday, November 20, a day after England had unveiled their 12-player squad on Wednesday, November 19. Ben Stokes’s team omitted Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue from contention for the first Test, while Ollie Pope is set to continue batting at No. 3.
As for the final lineup, England have yet to decide whether Shoaib Bashir will make the cut or if they will instead go with an all-pace quartet of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse.
England’s XII for the first Test: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Mark Wood.
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