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The tourists have left decisions open for the series opener by naming slow bowler the young spinner in a twelve-player team together with five seamers

Mark Wood has been passed fit and seems set to play versus the Aussies in Western Australia on the weekend, with the ultimate choice possibly between off-spinner Bashir and fast bowler Carse

Pitch Conditions

Should England choose an all-pace attack - four specialists combined with all-rounder Stokes - it would arguably be the fastest group of seamers they have used in an Ashes Test in the host nation

On Wednesday local groundsman Isaac McDonald commented to look for "pace and bounce" from the surface at the venue, and it seems likely the English will follow a established strategy of an pace-only strategy

But the English team have also noted a lack of moisture to the surface, bringing the off-spinner into consideration

Spinning Options

Throughout the limited timeframe of the ground - five previous Tests have been played here - Australian spin bowler Lyon is the top wicket-taker with 29 dismissals

The English management have supported the young spinner, 22 years old, as their primary spin option for over twelve months and in recent months he achieved the most youthful English bowler to achieve 50 wickets in international Tests

Yet he has missed a official match following taking the last dismissal in a exciting triumph over the Indian team in the third Test at the famous ground in summer

Current Concerns

He has been recovering from a broken finger and had challenges in England's only warm-up match against the development squad, recording overall statistics of 2 for 151 from 24 overs

It also raises the scenario of the spinner playing in an Ashes Test without being attached to a first-class side

His contract at the domestic team ended at the finish of the English season

Probable Team

Nevertheless, an English side including Wood, Archer, Atkinson, skipper Stokes and Carse - every one of them are able to achieve 90mph - continues to be the probable result

The first Test begins at 02:20 GMT on Friday, with real-time updates, specialist radio coverage and real-time features accessible

Team Selection

Team lineup for first Ashes Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Brook, Ben Stokes (leader), Smith (gloveman), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Archer, Bashir

Historical Context

Even though a number of England Ashes triumphs at home and abroad have been constructed around fast bowling, they have never fielded as numerous fast bowlers in the identical lineup

The side that won at home in the famous series of that year included Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff

Illingworth's winning English side to the host nation in 1970-71 had Bob Willis, Lever and John Snow, and the visiting team that succeeded in that period featured Statham and Tyson

Current Situation

This time around - among the most highly anticipated Test series in recent memory - the English team are aiming to overturn an awful record - they have failed to win a five-day game in the host country since that year

Only five members of the extended squad have experienced a Test in the host nation, but the bowler says that could benefit the English team

"This could represent an advantage," he mentioned to reporters

"We've seen a numerous athletes who have mentioned they have had challenging periods down under

"In our case, we are a very relaxed, extremely confident squad

"No negative experiences

"It's very exciting

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

Host Team Situation

The host team's training on this week was momentarily paused by the threat of lightning

The home side are probably going to give a debut to batsman Weatherald, with new seamer Doggett also joining after injuries to skipper Cummins and fellow seamer Hazlewood