Australia announce playing XI for 1st Ashes 2025-26 Test; two 31-year-olds to make debut

Australia have announced their playing XI for the first Test of the 2025-26 Ashes, scheduled to begin on Friday, November 21 in Perth. The hosts confirmed their lineup on Thursday, November 20, with Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett (both 31) set to make their Test debuts. This is the first time since 2019 that Australia will hand two debut caps in the same Test.

It also marks the first instance since the 2010-11 New Year’s Test that Australia will field multiple debutants in an Ashes match, when Usman Khawaja and Michael Beer made their debuts.

With Weatherald set to open, Usman Khawaja will have his seventh opening partner since returning to the Test side in 2022. Weatherald has scored 5,322 runs in 77 first-class matches at an average of 37.47, including 26 half-centuries and 13 centuries. Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc will lead the bowling attack in the absence of injured quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

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.

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Ollie Pope retains spot as England finalise XII for Ashes 2025-26 series opener

Australia announced their XI for the first Ashes Test on Thursday, November 20, while England had already revealed their 12-member squad a day earlier on Wednesday, November 19. Ben Stokes’s side left out Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue from the opening Test, with Ollie Pope expected to continue at No. 3.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Shoaib Bashir will feature in the final XI or if England will opt for an all-pace attack 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.