Australia have named a 15-man squad for the opening Test of the Ashes 2025/26 series against England which is scheduled to start from November 21 at the Perth Stadium. A number of inclusions and omissions have made headlines upon the announcement of the squad with the most notable being the exclusion of Sam Konstas and the return of Marnus Labuschagne into the Test fold.
Australia’s Squad for 1st Ashes Test Against England
Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster.
Jake Weatherald Receives First International Call-up
Headlining the inclusions is Jake Weatherald, the 31-year-old left-handed opener from South Australia, who has been handed his maiden international call-up as a reward for consistent performances in domestic cricket. He topped the Sheffield Shield run charts last season with 906 runs from 18 innings at an average of 50.33.
Weatherald has been in similar touch this season, amassing 248 runs from six innings at 41.33. He is experienced and can adapt to opening the batting, which makes him a natural candidate to open with Usman Khawaja, although chief selector George Bailey has pointed out that he is not a certain starter.
He would be Khawaja’s sixth opening partner in the post-David Warner Test era after trials with Steve Smith, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, and Sam Konstas.
Labuschagne back, Cummins Recovering
Marnus Labuschagne returns after missing the last Test series against West Indies following a dominating start to the domestic season with Queensland. His inclusion strengthens Australia’s middle order, with selectors hoping he can find the form that once saw him ranked as one of the world’s best batters.
Steve Smith to Captain
With Pat Cummins yet to recover fully from his lumbar stress injury, Steve Smith will lead the side for the series opener in Perth. Cummins is likely to travel with the team and could return for the day-night Test in Brisbane, starting December 4.
Australia’s Bowling Attack for the First Ashes Test
In his absence, Australia’s pace battery does remain formidable. Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Scott Boland will lead the attack as usual while Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett, named as backup quicks, add depth. Doggett returns after a hip injury ruled him out of the Caribbean tour.
Nathan Lyon Set To Overtake Glenn McGrath
Nathan Lyon requires two wickets, on the threshold of his 140th Test appearance, to overtake Glenn McGrath and become sixth on the all-time Test wicket-taker list.
George Bailey on Team Balance
George Bailey on Team Balance Bailey reinforced the team’s stability and competitive balance, saying, “The squad gives us good balance, and with 14 of the 15 players featuring in the next Sheffield Shield round, we’ll keep gathering information leading into the first Test.”
