Hitman
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England's Ashes Tour of Australia (2025)
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Ricky Ponting selects his Australia XI for first Ashes Test
The hosts’ build-up to the first Ashes Test has been anything but straightforward, but Ricky Ponting has voiced his Australia XI for the series opener in Perth.
ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting has revealed his preferred Australian line-up for the first Ashes Test against England on The ICC Review, backing Jake Weatherald for a Test debut and opting for Brendan Doggett to join the pace attack.
Australia have had mounting injury concerns in the build-up to the marquee series with pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins both out of the first Test, along with back-up quick Sean Abbott.
Factoring that in as well as team balance and combinations, Ponting’s pick for the Australia XI featured a debutant to go with a rejigged pace bowling line-up.
“I feel that Australia's best team has Jake Weatherald opening the batting along with (Usman) Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne at three,” Ponting told host Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.
“He’s (Labuschagne) done absolutely everything that's been asked of him over the last month, scoring hundreds at will, coming back into the side at No.3.
“Steve Smith (at) four, Travis Head (at) five, Cameron Green (at) six, Carey (at) seven.
“With (Scott) Boland, (Mitchell) Starc, probably Doggett gets the nod ahead of Michael Neser and Nathan Lyon, who was always going to play anyway, I think that will be Australia's team.”
With his preferred XI laid out, Ponting unpacked how Australia arrived at such a selection dilemma ahead of the Ashes.
The loss of Hazlewood to a hamstring strain is a significant one – he is approaching 300 wickets after 76 Tests – and his absence is compounded by the unavailability of captain Cummins, leaving Boland, Starc and Doggett as the front-line fast bowling options, with the selectors adding Michael Neser as cover for the first Test.
“If you had asked me this (to pick the XI) a week ago, my thoughts might have been slightly different,” Ponting said.
“Obviously, we've had Josh Hazlewood go down with that hamstring strain, it seems like, in the last (Sheffield) Shield game that he played. Brendan Doggett is already in the squad, he's been called in. Michael Neser has also been called into the squad now.
“So a week ago, I felt that they were going to play Jake Weatherald as the opener and Labuschagne at No.3 and that Doggett would probably just come in, Boland comes in the absence of Pat Cummins. But now things could be different.
“The fact that Hazelwood is not there, they'll have Starc, Boland, probably Doggett. Do they now think that they might need some more bowling cover as far as the all-rounders are concerned?
“Do they now think they might need Beau Webster to be in that side as well. So there are a lot of questions that I am not really sure what the outcome or the answer is.”
He pointed out that with a fully fit attack, Green’s workload would have been more than manageable after an encouraging Shield outing, where he blazed a brilliant 94 for Western Australia, in addition to picking up a wicket in his fiery spell with the ball in the first innings.
“If they had their full strength bowling group, Cameron Green, having got through the Shield game last week, I think they would have been more than comfortable going into a Perth Test with him as the all-rounder that could bowl eight, 10, 12 overs in an innings,” Ponting noted.
But the absence of Hazlewood has ensured Beau Webster is in the conversation, particularly after a standout bowling display in his most recent outing for Tasmania, picking up eight wickets, including 5/50 in the first innings.
“Beau Webster in this last Shield game as well, missed out with the bat in both innings but picked up eight wickets with the ball. So he's also thrown a bit of a spanner into the works there as far as selection is concerned," Ponting added.
Australia take on England in the first of five Ashes Tests as part of the ICC World Test Championship at Perth Stadium in Western Australia, beginning Friday, 21 November.
ICC
The hosts’ build-up to the first Ashes Test has been anything but straightforward, but Ricky Ponting has voiced his Australia XI for the series opener in Perth.
ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting has revealed his preferred Australian line-up for the first Ashes Test against England on The ICC Review, backing Jake Weatherald for a Test debut and opting for Brendan Doggett to join the pace attack.
Australia have had mounting injury concerns in the build-up to the marquee series with pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins both out of the first Test, along with back-up quick Sean Abbott.
Factoring that in as well as team balance and combinations, Ponting’s pick for the Australia XI featured a debutant to go with a rejigged pace bowling line-up.
“I feel that Australia's best team has Jake Weatherald opening the batting along with (Usman) Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne at three,” Ponting told host Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review.
“He’s (Labuschagne) done absolutely everything that's been asked of him over the last month, scoring hundreds at will, coming back into the side at No.3.
“Steve Smith (at) four, Travis Head (at) five, Cameron Green (at) six, Carey (at) seven.
“With (Scott) Boland, (Mitchell) Starc, probably Doggett gets the nod ahead of Michael Neser and Nathan Lyon, who was always going to play anyway, I think that will be Australia's team.”
With his preferred XI laid out, Ponting unpacked how Australia arrived at such a selection dilemma ahead of the Ashes.
The loss of Hazlewood to a hamstring strain is a significant one – he is approaching 300 wickets after 76 Tests – and his absence is compounded by the unavailability of captain Cummins, leaving Boland, Starc and Doggett as the front-line fast bowling options, with the selectors adding Michael Neser as cover for the first Test.
“If you had asked me this (to pick the XI) a week ago, my thoughts might have been slightly different,” Ponting said.
“Obviously, we've had Josh Hazlewood go down with that hamstring strain, it seems like, in the last (Sheffield) Shield game that he played. Brendan Doggett is already in the squad, he's been called in. Michael Neser has also been called into the squad now.
“So a week ago, I felt that they were going to play Jake Weatherald as the opener and Labuschagne at No.3 and that Doggett would probably just come in, Boland comes in the absence of Pat Cummins. But now things could be different.
“The fact that Hazelwood is not there, they'll have Starc, Boland, probably Doggett. Do they now think that they might need some more bowling cover as far as the all-rounders are concerned?
“Do they now think they might need Beau Webster to be in that side as well. So there are a lot of questions that I am not really sure what the outcome or the answer is.”
He pointed out that with a fully fit attack, Green’s workload would have been more than manageable after an encouraging Shield outing, where he blazed a brilliant 94 for Western Australia, in addition to picking up a wicket in his fiery spell with the ball in the first innings.
“If they had their full strength bowling group, Cameron Green, having got through the Shield game last week, I think they would have been more than comfortable going into a Perth Test with him as the all-rounder that could bowl eight, 10, 12 overs in an innings,” Ponting noted.
But the absence of Hazlewood has ensured Beau Webster is in the conversation, particularly after a standout bowling display in his most recent outing for Tasmania, picking up eight wickets, including 5/50 in the first innings.
“Beau Webster in this last Shield game as well, missed out with the bat in both innings but picked up eight wickets with the ball. So he's also thrown a bit of a spanner into the works there as far as selection is concerned," Ponting added.
Australia take on England in the first of five Ashes Tests as part of the ICC World Test Championship at Perth Stadium in Western Australia, beginning Friday, 21 November.
ICC
RedwoodOriginal
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Yeah but Stokes bowling is a bit of a double-edged sword for England. On one hand, you know he will add value with the ball because he has a knack for picking up crucial wickets and delivering big spells. On the other hand, it could lead to injury which would be a massive blow for England. In a five-match test series he will have to be very careful with his bowling workload, because it has lead to injuries multiple times in the recent past
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The visitors have announced their 12-member squad for the Ashes opener against Australia in Perth, starting 21 November.
England speedster Mark Wood has been declared fit and is named in the 12-member squad announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the first match against Australia.
Wood bowled eight overs in the warm-up match against the England Lions and went off the field for precautionary scans after feeling stiffness in his left hamstring.
He did not take the field again in the warm-up game but was eventually cleared fit and is now in the running for the playing XI for the series opener.
With the Optus Stadium expected to assist fast bowling, England have gone with a pace-heavy attack in Jofra Archer, Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and the added option of the fit-again captain Ben Stokes.
Shoaib Bashir is the lone spinner in the bowling attack, though England can rely on the part-time spin of Joe Root should they choose to go with an all-pace battery.
There were no surprises in the batting line-up named in the 12-member squad, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley expected to open, followed by the reliable middle order featuring Ollie Pope, Root, Harry Brook, Stokes and wicket-keeper Jamie Smith.
England’s 12-member squad for first Ashes Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir.
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No Jacks or Tongue; Pope over Bethell as forecast.
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They had Mark Wood bowling in a special pressurised and climatised tent in Lougborough in preparation for the Ashes. I hope he doesn't get injured.
Seeing Wood and Archer charging in will really make this series. They should unleash them in the first match to try and go 1-0 up against a weaker Aussie side.
Seeing Wood and Archer charging in will really make this series. They should unleash them in the first match to try and go 1-0 up against a weaker Aussie side.
Can’t believe there’s no thread on it.
England have prepared well. The practice series vs India went well, good player and approach experimentation.
I expect them to be well prepared. Just hope Mark Wood is fit. England need to forget the Aussie reputation and just play. Vs their abilities. The Aussie batting seems brittle to me, but we’ll see.
England have prepared well. The practice series vs India went well, good player and approach experimentation.
I expect them to be well prepared. Just hope Mark Wood is fit. England need to forget the Aussie reputation and just play. Vs their abilities. The Aussie batting seems brittle to me, but we’ll see.
RedwoodOriginal
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You are not searching properly otherwsie you would have found this thread
Devadwal
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I thought England prepared well to score over 500
What happened? Practise didn't go well ? All out for 172 and FTB root scored 0
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Frenzy erupts over detail on Australian Test kit for Ashes series
A frenzy has erupted over the new-look kit Australian players are sporting during the first Ashes Test in Perth.
For the first time in a Test series, the traditional Aussie white shirt has been plastered over with a large Westpac logo.
Cricket fans were unable to overlook the bright red emblem as Steve Smith led his troops out into the middle of Perth Stadium.
It is far from the first time the traditional Aussie whites have had Cricket Australia’s major corporate sponsor spread across players’ torsos and the investment from sponsors is critical for the sport.
However, that hasn’t stopped some viewers expressing their dislike of the new look kit.
Many have lamented the gradual changes made to Test cricket shirts worn all over the world with numbers, sponsors players names now also a regular feature.
One cricket viewer posted on X: “Early prediction: The English batsmen are gonna complain that the giant red Westpac logo on the Australian bowlers shirts, is too distracting. And they won’t be able to see the ball”.
Another posted: “The big red Westpac W really ruins the @CricketAus whites kit. Still not a fan of the numbers & names either”.
Aussie cricket legend Damien Martyn has previously publicly criticised the concept of major sponsors featuring on the prestigious white shirt.
“When has the Test team started to put sponsors logo large on the front? Terrible look in Test cricket. Just my old school opinion though”, Martyn wrote on X in 2023.
Westpac replaced Toyota as the main shirt sponsor for Cricket Australia, following on from Alinta Energy and Toyota.
In July this year, it was announced that Westpac had taken over as Cricket Australia’s principal partner for the men’s and women’s national teams.
Fans got their first glimpse of the new look kit in the white ball series against India, but the Westpac logo was impossible to miss on the cricket whites as the Ashes got underway in Perth.
For many years, a smaller sponsor had appeared on the upper right chest area, but in recent years the front Test cricket playing kit has become prime real estate for advertising.
Westpac CEO Anthony Miller said at the time of the announcement: “We’re excited to step up to the crease and back Australian cricket.
“As the first sponsor to feature simultaneously on both the men’s and women’s team shirts here at home, we look forward to investing in Australian cricket across all forms of the game, beginning with next month’s games against South Africa, followed by both India teams and this summer’s highly anticipated Ashes series.
CA CEO Todd Greenberg said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Westpac as Cricket Australia’s new Principal Partner.”
“This partnership represents a shared commitment to making a positive impact on the field and in the community. We aim to elevate the experience of fans and participants and together grow the game.
“Westpac’s support will directly contribute to initiatives that elevate participation and visibility in our sport and help support our vision of making cricket a sport for all. We couldn’t be more excited about the impact we can achieve together.”
The bank is also a key partner for the NRL, with the large “Red W” featuring on the front of both the NSW and Queensland State of Origin jerseys.
On the eve of the Ashes, Origin Energy also announced a three-year partnership with Cricket Australia that will see the energy retailer’s logo feature on the sleeves of the national men’s and women’s cricket teams.
England’s cricket team is sponsored by Toyota, sportswear manufacturer Castore and Tyrrell’s Wine.
It’s a different look to the the previously pristine plain whites of Test cricket seen in the 20th century.
In 2019, the International Cricket Council introduced player surnames and numbers on the back of shirts in Test cricket as part of a wider plan to promote the sport.
A frenzy has erupted over the new-look kit Australian players are sporting during the first Ashes Test in Perth.
For the first time in a Test series, the traditional Aussie white shirt has been plastered over with a large Westpac logo.
Cricket fans were unable to overlook the bright red emblem as Steve Smith led his troops out into the middle of Perth Stadium.
It is far from the first time the traditional Aussie whites have had Cricket Australia’s major corporate sponsor spread across players’ torsos and the investment from sponsors is critical for the sport.
However, that hasn’t stopped some viewers expressing their dislike of the new look kit.
Many have lamented the gradual changes made to Test cricket shirts worn all over the world with numbers, sponsors players names now also a regular feature.
One cricket viewer posted on X: “Early prediction: The English batsmen are gonna complain that the giant red Westpac logo on the Australian bowlers shirts, is too distracting. And they won’t be able to see the ball”.
Another posted: “The big red Westpac W really ruins the @CricketAus whites kit. Still not a fan of the numbers & names either”.
Aussie cricket legend Damien Martyn has previously publicly criticised the concept of major sponsors featuring on the prestigious white shirt.
“When has the Test team started to put sponsors logo large on the front? Terrible look in Test cricket. Just my old school opinion though”, Martyn wrote on X in 2023.
Westpac replaced Toyota as the main shirt sponsor for Cricket Australia, following on from Alinta Energy and Toyota.
In July this year, it was announced that Westpac had taken over as Cricket Australia’s principal partner for the men’s and women’s national teams.
Fans got their first glimpse of the new look kit in the white ball series against India, but the Westpac logo was impossible to miss on the cricket whites as the Ashes got underway in Perth.
For many years, a smaller sponsor had appeared on the upper right chest area, but in recent years the front Test cricket playing kit has become prime real estate for advertising.
Westpac CEO Anthony Miller said at the time of the announcement: “We’re excited to step up to the crease and back Australian cricket.
“As the first sponsor to feature simultaneously on both the men’s and women’s team shirts here at home, we look forward to investing in Australian cricket across all forms of the game, beginning with next month’s games against South Africa, followed by both India teams and this summer’s highly anticipated Ashes series.
CA CEO Todd Greenberg said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Westpac as Cricket Australia’s new Principal Partner.”
“This partnership represents a shared commitment to making a positive impact on the field and in the community. We aim to elevate the experience of fans and participants and together grow the game.
“Westpac’s support will directly contribute to initiatives that elevate participation and visibility in our sport and help support our vision of making cricket a sport for all. We couldn’t be more excited about the impact we can achieve together.”
The bank is also a key partner for the NRL, with the large “Red W” featuring on the front of both the NSW and Queensland State of Origin jerseys.
On the eve of the Ashes, Origin Energy also announced a three-year partnership with Cricket Australia that will see the energy retailer’s logo feature on the sleeves of the national men’s and women’s cricket teams.
England’s cricket team is sponsored by Toyota, sportswear manufacturer Castore and Tyrrell’s Wine.
It’s a different look to the the previously pristine plain whites of Test cricket seen in the 20th century.
In 2019, the International Cricket Council introduced player surnames and numbers on the back of shirts in Test cricket as part of a wider plan to promote the sport.
Devadwal
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- Dec 15, 2020
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