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The English side has kept their options open for the series opener by including slow bowler Bashir in a squad of twelve combined with five fast bowlers

Mark Wood has been passed fit and seems set to play versus the Aussies in Perth on the coming Friday, with the final decision probably involving the young spinner and fast bowler Brydon Carse

Ground Situation

Should England choose an all-pace attack - four dedicated bowlers combined with multi-skilled player the captain - it would possibly be the fastest group of seamers they have fielded in an Ashes Test in the host nation

Recently local pitch curator Isaac McDonald stated to expect "fast and bouncy conditions" from the pitch at the venue, and it looks possible the tourists will stick to a established strategy of an exclusively pace attack

However the tourists have also noted a arid quality to the wicket, putting the spinner into consideration

Spinning Options

In the short history of this venue - five earlier Tests have been staged here - Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon is the most successful bowler with twenty-nine

The team have favored Shoaib, 22, as their first-choice spinner for since last year and in spring he achieved the youngest England bowler to reach 50 wickets in Tests

However he has not played a first-class game since taking the final wicket in a thrilling win over the Indian team in the final Test at Lord's in July

Recent Challenges

The spinner has been recovering from a broken finger and had challenges in the single preparation match against England Lions, recording match figures of two wickets for 151 runs from twenty-four overs

This presents the scenario of him playing in an Ashes Test without being affiliated with a first-class side

The agreement at his county expired at the end of the home summer

Expected Selection

However, an England team containing Mark Wood, Archer, Gus Atkinson, captain Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse - each of whom are capable of reaching high speeds - remains the probable result

The first Test starts at 02:20 GMT on Friday, with live text coverage, expert analysis and live action clips available

Playing Group

Team lineup for initial Ashes match: Duckett, Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Stokes (leader), Smith (wicketkeeper), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Bashir

Past Experience

Even though a various England Ashes triumphs at domestically and internationally have been founded on quick bowling, they have not previously selected as numerous fast bowlers in the same team

The team that triumphed at domestically in the memorable competition of that year included Harmison, Jones and Andrew Flintoff

The captain's winning English side to Australia in that era had Willis, Peter Lever and John Snow, and the England team that succeeded in that period contained Statham and Tyson

Modern Context

In this instance - among the most highly anticipated Test series in recent years - the visitors are aiming to reverse an poor history - they have been unable to secure a Test in Australia since over a decade ago

Just five players of the extended squad have participated in a Test match in Australia, but Atkinson states that could benefit the English team

"This might be an advantage," he told the press

"There have been a numerous athletes who have stated they have had challenging periods down under

"In our case, we are a very relaxed, highly optimistic group

"No negative experiences

"It's thrilling

"The entire team views it as a huge opportunity to do something special"

Opposition News

Australia's net session on this week was temporarily interrupted by the possibility of bad weather

The home side are likely to give a debut to opener Weatherald, with yet to debut seamer Doggett also being included after injuries to captain Pat Cummins and fellow seamer Josh Hazlewood