Preview:Australia vs. England - First Ashes test prediction, squads, start time, Perth pitch lowdown

England will begin their bid to reclaim the Ashes when they take on Australia in the highly anticipated first Test in Perth.

The match will get underway on Friday morning at the Perth Stadium, which is set to host its first Ashes Test after taking over from the iconic WACA venue.

Match preview

England are looking to win the Ashes for the first time since losing their grasp on the famous urn with a 4-0 defeat in the 2017-18 series down under.

They followed that result with two drawn series in England, either side of another heavy 4-0 loss on their most recent away Ashes series in 2021-22.

In fact, England have lost the last three away Ashes by a combined 13-0 scoreline since Andrew Strauss's charges pulled off a 3-1 success in the 2010-11.

The current side, captained by Ben Stokes, will enter the first Test in Perth with hopes of becoming the first England team to win a Test match down under since Strauss and co clinched an innings victory in Sydney in 2011.

While they are yet to play a Test at the Perth Stadium, the tourists have not won an Ashes Test in Perth since David Gower scored a 102 in the first innings of a 166-run win in 1978.

The size of England's task is also highlighted by the fact that they have not won the first Test of an overseas Ashes series since Mike Gatting's side won by seven wickets at the Gabba in 1986.

However, Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum will not be focusing on the past, and they will be hoping their refined version of 'Bazball' will be enough to beat the old enemy in Perth.

Despite England's winning ambitions, Australia will start day one in Perth as the series favourites, considering that they have won eight of the last nine Ashes on home soil.

In fact, Australia have not lost any Ashes series since Michael Clarke's side fell to a 3-2 defeat in England in 2015.

The series hosts will also take immense confidence from their recent Test record, having won five and drawn two of their last seven series since losing 2-1 in India in 2022-23.

They dominated in the West Indies in June and July to pull off a 3-0 whitewash and claim a fourth consecutive series win in Test cricket.

In regard to their home record, Australia have not lost a Test series on their patch since falling to a 2-1 defeat against India in 2020-21.

While there should be confidence in the Australian camp, there will be some concern about their ageing squad, with a number of players set to play in what could be their final home Ashes.

There may also be an element of doubt about whether the decision to move the first Test away from the Gabba could hand England an advantage, considering that Australia have won seven of the 10 series openers that have been played in Brisbane since 1986 (D2, L1)

Squad News

Steve Smith will lead Australia for the first Test in the absence of captain Pat Cummins, who is hoping to recover from a back issue in time for the second game in Brisbane.

Cummins's fellow premium bowler Josh Hazlewood has also been ruled out of the first match through injury after being named in the initial squad.

Sean Abbott is another injury absentee for the series opener, with Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett set to replace Cummins and Hazlewood in the XI.

As for England, fast bowler Mark Wood is hoping to play his first Test since undergoing knee surgery in March, although he suffered a setback when he reported a hamstring issue in the warm-up game against the Lions.

However, Wood has been bowling in the nets in the lead-up to the Test, leaving England with a decision to make as to whether they should risk the 35-year-old in Perth.

Even if Wood skips the first Test, England could overlook their spin options of Shoaib Bashir and Will Jacks in favour of fielding an all-pace attack.

Despite being replaced by Harry Brook as vice-captain, Ollie Pope is widely expected to keep his place at three in the batting order, ahead of left-hander Jacob Bethell.

Australia squad:

Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Jake Weatherald, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Sean Abbott, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett

England squad:

Ben Stokes (captain), Harry Brook (vice-captain), Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood

When will the first Ashes test start?

The match in Perth is scheduled to get underway at 10:20am local time on Friday morning, which will be 2:20am for those watching in the UK.

Perth pitch update

The 60,000 capacity Perth Stadium is set to host its first Ashes Test after COVID restrictions prevented the ground from holding a Test in the 2021-22 series.

This venue may lack some of the charm of the WACA, but it is regarded as the quickest pitch in Australia, which is likely to influence selection decisions.

Batting could prove tricky on the Perth deck, taking into account that India and Australia were dismissed for 104 and 150, respectively, in the first innings of last year's Test at this venue.

With that said, India went on to rack up 487 in their second innings, suggesting that the pitch could get easier to bat on as the game reaches days two and three.

We say: England to win

History suggests that England will struggle to win the first Test, but two key factors make us believe that a victory is possible for Stokes's charges.

Injuries to Cummins and Hazlewood will pile the pressure on Boland and the debuting Doggett to deliver, while the fact that the first Test is taking place away from the Gabba should give England a psychological boost.