Overview
- Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are out of at least the first Test, with Steve Smith to captain Australia and Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland leading the attack in Perth.
- Australia are weighing Jake Weatherald’s potential debut against using Marnus Labuschagne to open, with Brendan Doggett tipped over Michael Neser as the third seamer.
- England arrive with a pace-heavy plan as Jofra Archer takes the new ball, Mark Wood proves his fitness in the nets without confirmation he will play, and Ollie Pope is set for No. 3.
- The five-Test Ashes begins at Optus Stadium on 21–25 November, with UK coverage on TNT Sports and overnight start times for viewers.
- After India’s three-day loss in Kolkata, Shubman Gill’s neck injury has left his Guwahati availability uncertain as Nitish Kumar Reddy rejoins the squad, left-handers Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal step up in nets, BCCI curators’ role in pitch preparation is acknowledged, and voices from Sunil Gavaskar and Sourav Ganguly urge selection clarity and better surfaces.