Australia V England: Ashes First Test, Day One – Live

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Preamble

Good morning, Australia. Good evening, England. Hello to everyone checking successful from different parts of nan globe. Because, finally, it is clip to extremity nan jibes and banter and contentious countdowns. To put nan squad analysis and injury news and tasty property convention nuggets to 1 side. To springiness nan rewritten histories abstraction to germinate and fresh root stories room to grow. To put nan pre-series speculation retired of show and nan bold predictions retired of mind. For nan phoney warfare has been declared a nil-all draw. The build up is each but done. And aft 844 days without nan oldest rivals successful nan crippled flinging a reddish sphere astatine each different crossed 22 yards, we person reached day 1 of nan first Test of nan 2025-26 Ashes.

Seven weeks of storylines that are yet to beryllium written. Countless controversies that are yet to beryllium dissected and debated. New heroes and villains that are yet to beryllium created, celebrated and, rather possibly, farewelled. It will begin, wherever it hasn’t already, erstwhile nan first shot is bowled astatine 10.20am successful Perth / 1.20pm AEDT / 2.20am GMT.

For each nan talk location has been starring into this eagerly anticipated bid – and there could hardly person been immoderate more – location has been adjacent to nary astir really nan Ashes mightiness prevention Test cricket. The longest shape of nan crippled is good and genuinely live and kicking. Yet nan Ashes ever breathes caller life into nan game, astatine slightest crossed nan four-year rhythm erstwhile it is played successful England and nan 2 teams meet connected much moreover terms. That is usually acold from nan lawsuit erstwhile nan arch-rivals meet successful Australia, wherever nan hosts are undefeated crossed 3 bid and person won 13 of nan past 15 Tests. But, situation we say, this clip it could beryllium different.

An emboldened England pinch an express-pace onslaught that complements their fierce batting and wide attack to nan crippled faces its top trial – and opportunity – of nan Stokes-McCullum era arsenic they travel up against a weakened Australia. It is, aft all, “the biggest bid of each of our lives”, astatine slightest according to England caput coach Brendon McCullum.

Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will, presumably, play successful nan aforesaid Test squad for conscionable nan 2nd time. Harry Brook tin show conscionable why we should judge nan hype. Joe Root might, finally, cement his bequest arsenic 1 of nan greats of modern batting. And Ben Stokes tin corroborate his spot arsenic not conscionable an all-rounder – but besides a leader – for nan ages, by becoming conscionable nan 2nd skipper to lead England to an Ashes bid triumph successful Australia successful almost 4 decades.

England skipper Ben Stokes and Australia skipper Steve Smith shingle hands earlier nan Ashes first Test astatine Perth Stadium. Photograph: Philip Brown/Getty Images

For Australia, nan stakes consciousness arsenic precocious arsenic they ever do for an Ashes series, if not needfully life changing. The anticipation is for nan hosts to present much of nan same. For a broadside that has recovered occurrence successful each formats done knowing erstwhile to play slow and steady, and erstwhile to move nan screw, to again prosper connected location soil. The absence of skipper Pat Cummins would beryllium a rustle to immoderate team, for his activity arsenic overmuch arsenic his expertise to alteration a crippled pinch nan shot and occasionally pinch nan bat. Josh Hazlewood’s wounded is different immense deed that will return distant Australia’s top spot – their bowling onslaught – and trial their depth. A brace of debutants successful Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett springiness nan broadside a caller look, but it is nan acquainted faces – Mitchell Starc, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, and stand-in skipper Steve Smith – who are much apt to find whether aliases not Australia clasp nan urn.

With a fewer hours still to spell earlier nan flip and confirmed teams, we person much than capable clip to perceive and stock your thoughts and predictions – drop maine an email aliases find maine @martinpegan connected Bluesky aliases X. And we’ll delve heavy into nan Guardian archives to retrieve what our writers and nan cardinal Ashes protagonists – nan existent cricketers – person had to opportunity successful nan caller days and weeks starring into what feels for illustration Cricketmas morning. Yes, it is now nary much sleeps – happy Ashes time 1 to each those who celebrate.