The Ashes 2025/26 | Australia vs England | First Test Preview and Predictions

Cricket’s greatest rivalry is back, with Australia hosting the latest edition of The Ashes.

England haven’t won Down Under in over a decade, something Ben Stokes and Co will be looking to change. In fact, the last time England won a Test match in Australia was during the 2010/11 Ashes; all their efforts have been swatted aside ever since!

For the first Test of the 2025/26 Ashes series, here we present our preview and predictions.

The Ashes 2025/26 | 1st Test | 05:30 IST, November 21–25

The hosts are hamstrung ahead of the Ashes opener. Captain Pat Cummins is set to miss out, having been deemed unfit to play in Perth, while Josh Hazlewood is another star pacer who has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury. In Cummins’ absence, Steve Smith returns to lead Australia in a stand-in capacity and will look to build on his strong batting record as captain.

Smith has Usman Khawaja locked in at the top of the order, but who opens alongside him remains up for debate, though young Jake Weatherald is expected to be the first choice. Down the order, Marnus Labuschagne, who has had a rough year with the bat, needs to step up, with Smith slotting in at No. 4 ahead of Travis Head and Cameron Green, while Alex Carey will be donning the gloves.

In Cummins’ and Hazlewood’s absence, Mitchell Starc is expected to lead the Australian bowling attack and shoulder extra responsibility, though he has the veteran Scott Boland alongside him, who also has an incredible Ashes record. Brendan Doggett is in line to make his Test debut, while Nathan Lyon will go in as the lone spinner.

All in all, the hosts still have a balanced squad, but their top order will be in the spotlight, in particular given Weatherald’s inexperience and Labuschagne’s poor run of form.

England, on the other hand, have already announced their 12-man squad for the first Test. Unlike Australia, they are coming in with an experienced top order. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have been the visitors’ go-to opening combination for a while now, and Duckett is one of the best red-ball openers going around at the moment. Ollie Pope has made the No. 3 spot his own, with star batter Joe Root coming in at No. 4. Root has not been at his fluent best, however, and will look to do better in Australia. Harry Brook, captain Ben Stokes, and Jamie Smith make up an exciting middle order, with young Smith having slowly secured his spot in the red-ball setup as the go-to wicketkeeper.

In terms of England’s bowling department, Mark Wood looks like he may overcome his injury to make it in the nick of time, given that he has been named in the first Test squad. If Wood is fit, he will lead the pace attack alongside Jofra Archer, with Stokes also having Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson at his disposal. The visitors have a long pace-bowling attack, further bolstered by Stokes himself, while Shoaib Bashir will be their lone spinner, with Pope and Root available as part-timers if needed.

The Perth wicket is known to assist pacers, with the extra bounce proving a handful for batters. The hosts start as our outright favourites despite missing two key players, and while we have Australia locked in for a comfortable series win altogether, don’t count out England entirely; the Bazball machine will push Australia to the limit across the five-match affair.

Fantasy XI: Ben Duckett, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Joe Root, Harry Brooks, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc (vc), Jofra Archer, Scott Boland

Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
Winners Prediction: Australia