Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes holding and posing with the Ashes trophy ahead of the iconic Australia vs England Test series in 2023

Cricket

Preview & Full Details: Australia vs England, 1st Ashes Test

November 19, 2025

It’s that time of the cricket season. Red-ball cricket will be at the top of the calendar for the next 45 days. History will beckon as England and Australia prepare to write the next chapter of one of Test cricket’s fiercest rivalries, the Ashes.

As the first ball draws near, anticipation surges through both hemispheres. The question remains: who will seize the moment and who will crumble under the weight of cricket’s most storied contest?

The Ashes 2025/26 begins on November 21, with the first Test scheduled at Perth Stadium. It’s an unfamiliar territory for England as they will play their first-ever Test at this venue. Australia will return after suffering their first red-ball defeat at Perth last summer, when India beat them by 295 runs.

The toss has played a decisive role at this ground. Captains who won the toss in all 5 Tests here have chosen to bat first and won every time.

Australia come into the historic series on top of the new 2025–27 WTC standings after a 3-0 sweep of West Indies earlier this year. England sit sixth following their 2-2 home draw against India. This is the second series for both Australia and England in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.

Australia hold the recent edge in the Ashes. They are unbeaten in the last 4 men’s Ashes series, winning 2 and drawing 2. They have not lost the Ashes since 2015. At home, their record is even stronger. Australia have won their last 3 Ashes series on home soil, with their previous home defeat coming in 2010-11.

England will still take confidence from their recent run. They are unbeaten in their last 3 men’s Tests against Australia (2 wins, 1 draw) after losing 6 and drawing 1 of the previous 7 meetings.

Ashes Results since 2000

Ashes Series	Year	Winner	Margin
Australia in England	2001	Australia	4–1 (5)
England in Australia	2002/03	Australia	4–1 (5)
Australia in England	2005	England	2–1 (5)
England in Australia	2006/07	Australia	5–0 (5)
Australia in England	2009	England	2–1 (5)
England in Australia	2010/11	England	3–1 (5)
Australia in England	2013	England	3–0 (5)
England in Australia	2013/14	Australia	5–0 (5)
Australia in England	2015	England	3–2 (5)
England in Australia	2017/18	Australia	4–0 (5)
Australia in England	2019	drawn	2–2 (5)
England in Australia	2021/22	Australia	4–0 (5)
Australia in England	2023	drawn	2–2 (5)

Australia Team News

Australia face major setbacks ahead of the opener. Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the first Test with a hamstring injury. Pat Cummins will also miss the match as he continues his recovery from lumbar stress. Scott Boland is set to replace Cummins, while South Australian quick Brendan Doggett is in line for a debut. Doggett would become the first Australian fast bowler to debut in Tests since Boland in 2021. Steve Smith will captain the side in Cummins’ absence.

Michael Neser has been added as fast-bowling cover after Sean Abbott was ruled out with a hamstring strain playing for NSW recently. Pace options are thin, making Doggett’s inclusion almost certain.

Sam Konstas was dropped for the first Test after struggling against West Indies, then making 161 runs at 20.12 in 4 rounds of the Sheffield Shield. He has been included in the Prime Minister’s XI to face England in Canberra at the end of November. Seeing Australia’s struggle to replace Warner at the top, he could be a part of the squad later.

Australia still need to finalise their top order. The big question remains: Who will open with Usman Khawaja? Jake Weatherald is pushing for a debut, while Marnus Labuschagne is also being considered to step into the role. Labuschagne is certain to return to the XI after scoring 5 centuries for Queensland this summer.

Nathan Lyon, with 562 Test wickets, will also return. He is just 2 wickets behind Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563, which would make him Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests.

Josh Inglis stays on as reserve keeper, while Sam Konstas and Matthew Kuhnemann have been left out from the West Indies squad.

Australia squad (1st Test)

Steve Smith (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.

Probable XI (1st Ashes Test)

Khawaja, Weatherald, Labuschagne, Smith (c), Head, Green, Carey (wk), Starc, Lyon, Doggett, Boland.

England Team News

England’s top order looks fairly settled. The only debate is at No. 3, Ollie Pope or Jacob Bethell. Bethell impressed during his first Test series in New Zealand with 3 half-centuries, including a 96. Pope strengthened his claim with a century in the warm-up game at Lilac Hill.

Bethell featured in England’s last Test at The Oval when Ben Stokes was out injured. Pope scored a century in that series and added 71 in the fourth Test, though he arrives without the vice-captaincy, which has gone to Harry Brook.

England have stacked their squad with pace. Jofra Archer is expected to play his first Test in Australia since 2019 after a long injury layoff. He returned to Test cricket earlier this year with 9 wickets against India and will come in form after a 3-23 spell against New Zealand in an ODI last month.

Pacer Mark Wood is also fit after knee surgery and cleared for Perth. Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse add depth, giving England the option of playing 4 fast bowlers. Shoaib Bashir is in the frontline for the spin role.

The legendary Joe Root comes into the series in strong form. The England batter passed Ricky Ponting in July to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test history with 13,543 runs. He still seeks his first Test century in Australia. He is on his way towards Sachin Tendulkar’s mark of 15,921.

Brook averages 57 across 30 Tests and is among 10 players in England’s squad yet to play a Test in Australia.

England squad

Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.