Australia XI for 1st Ashes Test: Smith to lead side; Weatherald, Dogget to make debuts
Cricket Australia on Thursday announced the playing XI for the first Ashes Test against England, starting on Friday at the Optus Stadium in Perth.
Steve Smith will stand-in as captain for the series opener after Pat Cummins failed to recover in time from his injury. Pacer Josh Hazlewood also misses out after he sustained an injury in training.
Batter Jake Weatherald and pacer Brendan Doggett have been handed their maiden caps. Weatherald will open with Usman Khawaja while Doggett will form the pace troika along with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.
Australia Playing XI
Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon.
Published on Nov 20, 2025
