Ashes 2025 1st Test: England wins toss, opts to bat first towards Australia

England elected to bat first towards Australia within the Ashes sequence opener on Friday (November 21, 2025) after captain Ben Stokes gained the toss underneath clear blue skies at Perth Stadium.

After naming a 12-man squad for the match, the guests opted for all-out tempo within the beginning facet, leaving out off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in favour of Brydon Carse.

“We’ll try to get some runs on the board after which see the place we’re then,” Stokes stated. “We’ve received to clear all of what we need to obtain out right here in Australia, it begins right this moment.”

Australia’s Steve Smith, standing in as captain for the injured Pat Cummins, struck an optimistic tone after dropping the toss.

“Hopefully it seams far and wide this morning. I believe the cracks will come into play, they appear to yearly,” stated Smith. “I believe if we get the ball in the fitting areas this morning, there’ll be sufficient there for certain.”

Australia awarded first check caps to specialist opener Jake Weatherald and quick bowler Brendan Doggett, who put his hand up for choice with 13 wickets in two matches for South Australia in a dynamic begin to the home Sheffield Shield season.

“He kind of glides by the crease, makes it look fairly straightforward,” tempo spearhead Mitchell Starc stated of Doggett.

“So, yeah, he’s received some air pace, he’s received some nice expertise, some swing, some seam and he’s coming off a scorching streak, so hopefully that continues this week.”

Squads

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett

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