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The English side has maintained flexibility for the initial Ashes match by including slow bowler Bashir in a twelve-player team combined with five pace bowlers

Wood has been passed fit and appears likely to feature versus the Aussies in Western Australia on Friday, with the last selection likely involving the young spinner and fast bowler Brydon Carse

Wicket Factors

If the visitors select an pace-only bowling lineup - four dedicated bowlers along with multi-skilled player the captain - it would potentially be the most rapid assembly of pacemen they have deployed in an Ashes match in this country

On Wednesday local wicket preparer the curator said to look for "fast and bouncy conditions" from the surface at the stadium, and it seems likely the tourists will adhere to a established strategy of an exclusively pace attack

Yet the English team have also observed a dryness to the pitch, bringing the spinner into contention

Slow Bowling Factors

During the brief existence of the ground - five prior matches have been hosted here - Australian off-spinner Lyon is the top wicket-taker with 29

The team have favored the young spinner, 22, as their first-choice spinner for over twelve months and in May he achieved the most youthful English bowler to attain 50 wickets in Test matches

But he has not played a competitive game following taking the last dismissal in a dramatic victory over the Indian team in the third Test at the famous ground in July

Recent Issues

Bashir has been suffering from a hand problem and struggled in the single preparation match against the Lions, returning match figures of two wickets for 151 runs from his bowling spell

It also raises the prospect of him playing in an Ashes match without being contracted with a county

His deal at his county concluded at the conclusion of the domestic season

Expected Selection

However, an visiting team containing Wood, Jofra Archer, Atkinson, skipper Ben Stokes and Carse - all of whom are capable of reaching 90 miles per hour - continues to be the probable result

The initial game commences at 02:20 GMT on the weekend, with real-time updates, specialist radio coverage and real-time features provided

England Squad

Selected players for series opener: Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Joe Root, Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Wood, Archer, Bashir

Historical Context

Even though a several English Ashes victories at domestically and internationally have been constructed around fast bowling, they have never fielded as many express pace bowlers in the same team

The side that won at in England in the celebrated contest of that year contained Harmison, Simon Jones and Flintoff

The captain's successful touring team to the host nation in 1970-71 had Willis, Peter Lever and John Snow, and the English side that succeeded in that period included Brian Statham and Tyson

Modern Context

In this instance - one of the most eagerly anticipated Ashes series in recent years - the English team are hoping to overturn an difficult past - they have not won a Test in Australia since over a decade ago

Only five members of the sixteen-player group have played a international Test in Australia, but Atkinson says that could work in England's favour

"This could represent an advantage," he told the press

"There are a numerous athletes who have mentioned they have had difficult experiences here in Australia

"Regarding our team, we are a quite calm, very positive squad

"No scarring

"It's thrilling

"We all see it as a massive chance to create history"

Opposition News

The host team's practice session on this week was briefly delayed by the risk of storms

The hosts are expected to give a debut to batsman Jack Weatherald, with uncapped pace bowler Doggett also being included following fitness concerns to captain Cummins and colleague Hazlewood