England 4/1 in 1.5 Overs | Live Score AUS vs ENG, 1st Ashes Test, Day 1: Ben Stokes wins the toss; England opt to battle Australia in Perth
Stokes said the tourists, who had not won a series in Australia for 15 years, had an “opportunity to write our own history” and return as Ashes winners in mid-January.
Australia, meanwhile, are seriously depleted with Pat Cummins (back) and Josh Hazlewood (hamstring) unavailable, resulting in two first caps for opener Jake Weatherald and seamer Brendan Doggett – their first instance of multiple debutants in a Test since 2019.
Stand-in skipper Steve Smith said he would also have opted to bat, but expected early movement from the seams. Weatherald’s selection restores Marnus Labuschagne to his preferred No.3 position after a prolific home run, while Cameron Green retains the all-rounder role. Doggett joins Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland in the rushing attack, with Smith praising his improvement in recent years.
Veteran Nathan Lyon is playing his 140th Test and needs two wickets to surpass Glenn McGrath on the all-time list. Smith said the pitch looked similar to last year’s wicket, predicting pace and bounce. England last won in Australia in 2010-11, drawing 2-2 in the 2023 home series.
