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England have delayed confirming their final playing 11 for the opening Ashes Test until Friday morning as they consider whether to include a spinner in Perth, as per ESPNcricinfo. The Australia vs England Test will be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Since taking the captaincy reins for the Three Lions, Ben Stokes has often announced his team two days before a Test, but this time England simply reduced their 16-man squad to 12 on Wednesday. Stokes suggested on Thursday afternoon that the final 11 would "probably" be settled later in the day, but he has chosen instead to take one last look at the pitch on the morning of the match. England's main selection dilemma is whether to include Shoaib Bashir on a Perth pitch expected to favour their fast bowlers with extra pace and bounce. Bashir hasn't played since he claimed the final wicket in England's fifth-day victory over India at Lord's in July, having broken the little finger on his left hand earlier in that match. His warm-up outing last week was costly, going for 151 runs in 24 overs for just two wickets, but Stokes has maintained that Bashir will have a part to play at some point in the series. "Team sport takes all 11 [players] to influence a game at some point. All 11 guys who get the honour of being selected in the next five games will be just as important as each other. He was always going to be in the 12-man [squad]. Seeing the way the game at Lilac Hill went, it felt like we could just get him as many opportunities to bowl as possible," said Stokes. It also cracks open the possibility of England having an all-pace attack for the Perth Test. While pacer Mark Wood had seemed a serious fitness concern after experiencing hamstring soreness during the warm-up match, Stokes sounded confident about his availability. "He's flying. I know you guys say he only bowled eight overs in the game, but he's been bowling for a long, long time. He has always been someone who can just hit the ground running in a game, and he's bowling rapid," Stokes said. (ANI)
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