Talking Cricket: The XI England should field for the opening Ashes Test in Perth

England travel to take on Australia in the biggest series in cricket. In 2025/26, Australia will be the hosts, with the first Test in Perth set to take place between November 21-25. The home side will arrive for the series as the big favourites, with England unable to secure a series win in Australia since 2010/11. 

Worrying for England will be that they have not been able to win a series against Australia since 2015. A pair of series in Australia have ended in 4-0 defeats, while they have drawn both subsequent series in England 2-2. Clearly, something needs to change, with the English unable to consistently better their arch-rivals. 

Brendon McCullum has now been head coach of the England Test team since 2022, but he has only overseen one Ashes series. This saw the sides battle to a 2-2 draw, with Australia retaining the Ashes for the fourth consecutive time. 

The litmus test for England coaches tends to be their performances across the Ashes and, with a 2-2 series draw against India in England across June, July and August, McCullum’s side need a big win across the summer. 

With their Ashes squad announced, we have created our starting XI for the first Test in Perth. 

There are still question marks around Zak Crawley in this English side, with the opener tending to be feast or famine. Across 2025, he has averaged 41.40 in Tests, notching one century and three fifties in 10 innings. 

Against the Aussies, he has emulated this, scoring a single hundred and three 50’s, while he has an average of 43.07. Crawley’s stats are impressive, but he has his woes outside of off-stump. Loose drives have tended to be his undoing, and on pitches in which the ball flies through to the keeper, Crawley cannot afford to chase the ball needlessly. Alongside Ben Duckett, Crawley has a massive job in setting the tone for England across the series. 

Crawley definitely has his critics, meaning this series will be huge for his place in this England side. 

Ben Duckett came into this England side having failed to return to the national team for nearly six years between 2016 and 2022. His debut season saw him score 56 runs in seven innings at 15.71. His omission from later squads was not surprising. 

However, since his return in 2022, he has been one of England’s most consistent players. With an incredibly impressive average of 60.20 in 2025, Duckett has continually pushed the boundaries of opening. Not content with leaving the ball, his strike rate is 86.14, and he has become imperative in ruining the new ball for the bowling attack. 

With Australia boasting an exceptional new ball unit, Duckett will be vital in getting England off to a strong start while taking the shine off the ball. Duckett has shown that he is more than capable of opening the batting, thriving in English conditions that tend to be the most testing for openers. However, playing down under against a fired up Aussie side is the next step up in quality for the opener. 

The second player in England’s top three that has a question mark over them. Harry Brook was made vice-captain of this England side, taking the mantle away from Pope. Does this allude to Pope needing a big series to keep his place in the team? 

2025 has seen Pope score 477 runs, but 171 of these came in a single innings. More worrying will be his woeful average of 15.70 in 10 innings against Australia with no centuries or fifties coming in this time. 

Pope was one of the bigger question marks in this team. Undoubtedly talented, on his day Pope is one of England’s most exciting batters. Alongside proving a potential talent for years to come, Pope playing at three allows England's best player to move to his more favoured position of fourth in the order. However, if Pope is continually out cheaply, Joe Root may as well be playing at three. 

Unfortunately, when things are bad for Pope, they are really bad. This may yet prove to be a series that defines Pope’s time as an England player. Australia is not a place to go when chasing form, and if Pope gets off to a bad start, there will be nowhere to hide in the blistering heat of Australia. 

Joe Root

 

The first name on the team sheet. Joe Root is England’s best player, and he is still hunting down Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921. With 13,543 runs to his name, Root can put a big dent in the deficit with 10 potential innings down under, although he is yet to score a century in Australia. 

With Root edging closer to the all-time Test run scoring record, the only blemish on Root’s copybook is his lack of a century in Australia. For most English fans, Root is the greatest of all time, and a century in a winning Ashes series for England would only underline this. 

Conversely, a bad series in Australia would be a real blow to a supreme year that has seen him score 571 runs at an average of 63.44. Even if Root struggles, he will not drop out of this England side, such is his quality. This means their greatest ever run scorer will have ample chance to hit that fabled three-figure mark in Australia. 

England’s new Test vice-captain and captain of their limited overs sides, Harry Brook has imbedded himself as an integral part of this England side. Aside from his average of 57.55 in Tests, Brook has shown his supreme ability to bat out a specific situation. 

The one worry for English fans will be that he has had his moments of madness with the bat at times. Brook is only human, and if the pressure is really on and the runs are not coming, then a batter tends to try something different. This can end in a much-needed boundary but, against this Aussie attack, it usually ends in a wicket. 

While Brook has gotten England out of some sticky situations, there have been times where he has given he wicket away foolishly. I feel it is time for Brook to really step up to that mantle of a player that is the man to call in any situation. Joe Root and Ben Stokes have continually scored quick runs or dug in when needed. It is time for Harry Brook to step up and really show that he is the man for a crisis in the pressure cooker that is an Ashes series. 

England’s captain and arguably their most important player. While Root will likely score more runs and Jofra Archer will take more wickets, Stokes has an incredible ability to do the apparently improbable. His aggressive spells of wicket-taking tend to see important partnerships broken while he also softens up the batsmen for other bowlers to go at. 

With the bat, nobody needs reminding of his ability. Whether he is smashing sixes or grinding out vital runs, Stokes is often the man to get England over the line. 

The worry for Stokes will be his fitness. If England’s captain plays at 100% (which is the only way he knows how to play), then appearing in all five Tests will be a stretch. However, Brendon McCullum will know the importance of ensuring his captain plays as often as he can, meaning managing his game time will be vital. 

I believe his importance to the side was best shown in England's final Test against India across July and August. England lost by six runs, seeing the series end 2-2. Key to India's win was Stokes missing the game. In his place, undoubtedly talented but still raw Jacob Bethell scored six and five. Meanwhile, Chris Woakes was injured in the first innings, only bowling 14 overs across the course of the game. 

If Stokes had been fit to play, I highly doubt he would have been dismissed for a total of 11 runs. More importantly, Bethell fell for five in the second innings to leave England at 332/5 chasing 373. While we will never know whether Stokes would have gotten England over the line, my money would have been on him griding England to victory, while he would have also provided another wicket-taking option with Woakes injured. 

Stokes is one of the best cricketers in the world, and England will need him at his best if they are to win in Australia. 

With any of Ben Foakes, Jos Buttler or Jonny Bairstow technically able to keep wicket for England, it has made Jamie Smith’s rise all the more impressive. Foakes in particular will feel aggrieved, but Smith was given a chance, and he has taken it with both hands. 

Smith arrives for the series with an average of 48.86, while he has taken 52 catches across his 15 matches. With two centuries and six fifties coming from his 25 innings, Smith has proved himself to be an integral part of McCullum’s England. 

In an England side that promotes players adopting their own personal style of play, Smith has shone. We have seen him smash world class bowlers back over their heads, while he has also put his full range of shots on show as he looks to split the field. 

He also excels with the gloves. Taking stunning catches have all been part of his day-to-day, but in the heat of Australia, ensuring the simple things are done well will be vital. Losing concentration for a second is the difference between pouching a regulation catch and spilling one to see the heads go down. 

Importantly, England are yet to play Australia in a Test series with Smith in the side. With one of England’s most exciting new talents looking to guide them to a series win in Australia, this may yet prove to be a defining moment in his fledgling career. 

Without the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad no longer forming the dual points of England’s bowling attack, Gus Atkinson will have a huge role with the new ball. Both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will provide the raw pace in this England attack, with Atkinson providing something a little different with the ball in hand. 

63 wickets in 13 matches is an impressive total, while he averages just 22.02 with the ball. However, like Smith, he has not played Australia in a Test. His batting lower down the order may also prove vital, especially if England need their tail to wag or are looking for quick runs.  

If England are to beat Australia, their entire bowling attack will need to be on song. Many will tip Atkinson to continue his incredible rise with England with more wickets across the 2025/26 Ashes series. 

When Jofra Archer plays, England are a far better side for it. His ability to consistently hit 90mph+ will be vital in Australian conditions as the hard and flat pitches in the blistering sun will play into his hands. With the extra bounce provided, Archer’s bouncers will be lethal, while he has taken 22 wickets in eight innings against Australia. Interestingly, Archer’s average of 20.27 against the Aussies is his best average against any opponent, showing he enjoys the challenge of taking on England's greatest rivals. 

Like Stokes, Archer’s fitness and ability to play the majority of matches will be vital if England are to end their long losing run in Australia. I predict that he will miss at least one Test to manage his workload in the hope he can play the other four. 

Mark Wood is the second point of England’s vicious pace attack. Like Archer, his 90mph+ deliveries will give the Aussies a lot of issues with the new ball. Wood boasts 41 wickets against Australia at an average of 27.49. His 41 wickets against the Aussies is his highest tally against any nation, and Australia will not have forgotten about his exploits in the 2023 Ashes series. At 35, Wood is likely heading towards his final Ashes, meaning this may yet be his last chance to star in an Ashes series down under. 

Shoaib Bashir seems to have beaten Jack Leach to be the first-choice spinning option for England later in the year. The 21-year-old has had his moments for England, but he has often struggled to hold down an end. 

An average of 39.00 and a strike rate of 61.75 in Tests have come alongside 68 wickets in 33 innings. The numbers show that Bashir has the ability to take wickets, but he does leak runs. Interestingly, Bashir averages over 40.00 with the ball against the likes of India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. With Joe Root providing an alternate spinning option, Bashir needs a good series in Australia as he looks to really nail down his place in this England side.