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The English side has kept their options open for the initial Ashes match by including slow bowler Shoaib Bashir in a 12-man squad together with five seamers

Mark Wood has recovered and is expected to participate facing the hosts in Perth Stadium on Friday, with the ultimate choice likely involving off-spinner Bashir and seamer Brydon Carse

Wicket Factors

If the visitors select an fast bowling unit - four dedicated bowlers combined with all-rounder Stokes - it would potentially be the fastest group of bowlers they have used in an Test against Australia in the host nation

Recently local pitch curator McDonald said to look for "pace and bounce" from the wicket at the venue, and it seems likely England will follow a traditional approach of an pace-only strategy

Yet the tourists have also observed a dryness to the surface, placing the spinner into contention

Slow Bowling Factors

In the short history of the ground - five earlier Tests have been played here - Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon is the most successful bowler with 29 dismissals

The English management have backed the young spinner, 22 years old, as their main slow bowler for since last year and in May he was recognized as the most youthful English bowler to achieve half-century of wickets in international Tests

However he has not played a competitive game following securing the last dismissal in a thrilling win over India in the final Test at the famous ground in summer

Recent Challenges

The spinner has been out with a broken finger and had challenges in England's only warm-up match against the development squad, recording match figures of 2-151 from his bowling spell

This creates the scenario of the spinner participating in an Ashes Test without being contracted with a domestic team

The agreement at his county concluded at the finish of the English season

Likely Lineup

Still, an England team featuring Wood, Jofra Archer, Atkinson, captain Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse - every one of them are likely to hit 90mph - remains the expected conclusion

The first Test starts at 2:20 AM GMT on the weekend, with real-time updates, expert analysis and live action clips accessible

Playing Group

Selected players for first Ashes Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Root, Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (gloveman), Atkinson, Carse, Wood, Archer, Shoaib Bashir

Historical Context

While a several successful Ashes campaigns at domestically and internationally have been constructed around fast bowling, they have not previously used as multiple quick bowlers in the equivalent side

The lineup that won at in England in the celebrated contest of 2005 Ashes contained Harmison, Jones and Andrew Flintoff

Illingworth's winning English side to Australia in those years had Bob Willis, Lever and Snow, and the English side that triumphed in 1954-55 included Brian Statham and Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson

Present Circumstances

In this instance - among the most highly anticipated Test series in recent years - England are hoping to reverse an difficult past - they have not won a five-day game in Australia since over a decade ago

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

"This might be an advantage," he mentioned to media outlets

"We've seen a many cricketers who have said they have had difficult experiences in this country

"For us, we are a extremely composed, extremely confident team

"No negative experiences

"It's exhilarating

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

Australian Preparations

The Australian practice session on this week was temporarily interrupted by the threat of lightning

The hosts are likely to hand a first cap to batsman Weatherald, with uncapped fast bowler Brendan Doggett also coming in following injuries to skipper Pat Cummins and fellow seamer Hazlewood