Marnus Labuschagne returns to his favoured position at No. 3, while Weatherald opens alongside veteran Usman Khawaja. It will mark the first time Australia has chosen multiple debutants in a Test since early 2019.<\/p>\n
Stand-in captain Steve Smith will confirm the starting XI when he fronts media at 3pm AEDT.<\/p>\n
Watch The Ashes 2025\/26 LIVE and ad-break free during play with FOX CRICKET on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 ><\/a><\/p>\n Doggett will become the third Indigenous cricketer to represent Australia in men\u2019s Test, alongside Jason Gillespie and Scott Boland.<\/p>\n the first Ashes Test between Australia and England gets underway at Perth Stadium on Friday at 1.20pm AEDT.<\/p>\n Expected Australian XI<\/p>\n Jake Weatherald, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett<\/p>\n Follow all the latest updates in our live blog below! Can\u2019t see the blog? CLICK HERE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018JUST COME ON\u2019: STOKES HITS BACK OF ASHES CLAIM<\/p>\n Ben Stokes has once again bristled at questions over England\u2019s Ashes preparations.<\/p>\n The tourists will have played just one, three-day match against the England Lions when they take the field in Perth on Friday for the first Ashes Test.<\/p>\n Before that was six limited overs matches against New Zealand.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s players meanwhile, were able to fit in Shield matches alongside national limited over commitments.<\/p>\n It prompted criticism from a number of former England stars including Michael Vaughan and Ian Botham.<\/p>\n Asked by another England great Michael Atherton what the ideal predation looks like, Stokes doubled down.<\/p>\n \u201cPreparation is physical and mental,\u201d he told Atherton on Sky Sports.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been preparing for this for a long time. There\u2019s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that isn\u2019t seen by the cameras, by the eyes, by the likes of yourself and everyone else involved in the game, punditry wise.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve gone about our away tours in a specific way that fits this group.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople can have an opinion about that. We know what we are doing. If you think we are going to be coming out here, thinking we can wing it, just come on.<\/p>\n It comes after Stokes labelled former players who questioned their preparation \u201chas-beens\u201d.\/<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what else we\u2019re expected to be able to do. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s [Sheffield] Shield cricket going on at the moment, so who would we play against?<\/p>\n \u201cSo there\u2019s quite a few factors that play into the whole of why we can\u2019t [prepare] how the has-beens have maybe prepared in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n MARSH\u2019S SURPRISE MOVE IN TEST RECALL BID<\/p>\n Mitchell Marsh is set to make his red-ball return next month as Australia contemplates the possibility or parachuting him into the Test side for the Ashes campaign.<\/p>\n The West Australian, who has been in blistering form in the national white-ball team, has not played a first-class contest since last summer\u2019s Boxing Day Test against India, after which he was dropped for fellow all-rounder Beau Webster.<\/p>\n However, national selectors have on multiple occasions declared that Marsh\u2019s Test career wasn\u2019t over, keeping the door open for him to make an appearance for this summer\u2019s Ashes series.<\/p>\n ESPNcricinfo<\/a> has reported the 34-year-old will make his Sheffield Shield return during Western Australia\u2019s clash with Victoria at the MCG, commencing on December 4. According to the report, there may be a discussion between the national selectors and Western Australia about which position Marsh bats in for the four-day contest, including the potential for him to open at slot in at No. 3.<\/p>\n Marsh has repeatedly downplayed his chances of a Test recall \u2013 declaring he would be \u201csix beers deep\u201d on day one of the Ashes opener in Perth \u2013 but coach Andrew McDonald recently declared he would be \u201ccomfortable\u201d with picking him again if it benefited the team.<\/p>\n While there may not be room for Marsh in the Test side\u2019s middle order, multiple pundits \u2013 including former England captain Michael Vaughan \u2013 have called for him to be reinvented as an opener that can heap pressure on England\u2019s quicks against the new ball.<\/p>\n However, the right-hander averages 12.57 when batting above No. 6 in Tests, albeit with a small sample size of nine innings.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n GREATEST MOMENTS: One man walked out on Waugh\u2019s epic ton<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018THAT JUST DOESN\u2019T HAPPEN\u2019: Ashes conspiracy scorched<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763321169_134_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
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