England and Australia are gearing up to reignite one of cricket’s greatest rivalries, with the first Test of the Ashes slated to begin on 21 November 2025 in Perth. This marks a significant change in tradition: for the first time in over 40 years, the series will not begin at the Gabba in Brisbane. England, captained by Ben Stokes, are chasing a long-awaited away breakthrough. They have not won an Ashes Test in Australia since 2011, and a series victory has eluded them even longer. Now, as the urn goes up for grabs once again, anticipation is reaching fever pitch.

England, meanwhile, arrive infused with the bold, fearless ethos introduced under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum—a style that has revived their Test identity and reshaped their ambitions. Australia, on the other hand, have endured an unsettled build-up dominated by injuries to key players.

The most pressing concern for Australia in the lead-up has been the fitness of their captain, Pat Cummins, who has been ruled out of the opening Test due to a back issue. His participation became a race against time due to injury, which eventually put him out of the contest. Days later Australia suffered another blow with Josh Hazlewood picking up a hamstring injury during a Sheffield Shield fixture and finally being ruled out of the contest. Losing two premier fast bowlers has forced Australia into a reshuffle, prompting Steve Smith to step back into the role of captain for the opener. Despite these challenges, Australia’s pace arsenal remains formidable.

Mitchell Starc will lead the attack. Scott Boland, while less experienced internationally, has demonstrated exceptional control and effectiveness in Australian conditions and looks set to slot in confidently. The third seamer is South Australian paceman Brendan Doggett, who is likely to make his Test debut in Perth.

For England, the Ashes represent both an opportunity and an immense challenge. Their last visit to Australia in 2021–22 ended in a bruising 4–0 defeat. However, the team now arriving under Stokes and McCullum has shown promising efforts. Their aggressive and liberated brand of Test cricket has delivered transformative results, but this series will be the most rigorous assessment of their Bazball approach.

Head-to-head

Matches - 361

AUS won - 152

ENG won - 112

Drawn - 97

Australia probable XI: Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland

England probable XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse/Shoaib Bashir