rewrite this title Ashes 2025 live: Australia v England score and updates from first Test in Perth

Jimmy Anderson believes that the first Test match in Perth may be the only game in which Jofra Archer and Mark Wood play together with England resting and rotating the pair throughout the series.

He explained: “I think if you’re going to play them together, potentially the first Test at Perth, where it’s fast and bouncy, you want to get off to a good start in the series so hit them straight away with proper pace.

“After that I imagine they’ll try and play one of them, and rest and recover the other.”

Anderson added that Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse will need to bowl consistently throughout the series if England stand a chance of winning.

“That leaves space for Brydon Carse or Gus Atkinson. They’re still quick enough, but they’ve got skill as well, and probably a bit more control than the others,” Anderson continued.

“They’re going to have a big part. If England are going to win this series, or have a chance, then the bowling attack has got to be relentlessly good.”

England pace bowler Gus Atkinson is set to get his first experience of an Ashes series when the action gets going.

The 27-year-old has made a fine start to his test career before injury kept him off the pitch.

He’s fully fit and firing ahead of the series though and is looking forward to what should be an ‘exciting’ affair.

“It means a lot,” Atkinson told BBC Sport when asked how it felt ot play in the Ashes.

“Growing up the 2005 Ashes was the main thing for me. Ever since it’s been a dream to play in an Ashes series.

“To get the opportunity is very exciting.”

England’s squad features five seamers including captain Ben Stokes with Shoaib Bashir as the spin option.

Will Stokes and Brendan McCullum punt for an all seam attack in the first test?

“[The possibility is] very exciting,” explained Gus Atkinson.

“We hear about these pitches in Australia with pace and bounce, so to come out here is really nice knowing as a fast bowler you can make major contributions.

“We’re all very excited. There is a lot a of pace in our attack. I’m probably a bit slower than a few of the others.

“It’s to hold that control, look to take wickets and keep the batters under pressure.”

In comparison to Australia, England have a fairly settled squad and team.

The big decision that Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes need to make is whether to pick a frontline spinner or not.

Perth is typically quick and bouncy so it isn’t out of the realms of possibility that England elect for an all seam attack.

England’s 12 man squad for the first Test is:

With the injuries to Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, Australia have been forced into a new look bowling attack.

Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are old hats and Scott Boland has pedigree but Brendan Doggett is making his Test debut in Perth.

Boland and Doggett are both indigenous Australians and when they take to the field it’ll be the first time an Australian cricket team have had two players of that ancestry playing in the same team.

Australia have announced the 11 players who will take to the field for the first Test match of the series.

England have not won an Ashes series for a decade and they have not win a single Test match in Australia since 2010/11.

But there is optimism that this time might be different, as Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum take their exciting brand of ‘Bazball’ into contest.

The series will begin Perth rather than Brisbane, where The Gabba has hosted every opening Ashes Test for more than 40 years, and England may be relieved – their record at The Gabba is poor, without a win there since 1986.

Instead the Ashes will start in a new venue as Perth’s 60,000-seater Optus (Perth) Stadium takes over from the much smaller, older Waca ground that has traditionally played host.

Perth is hosting the first Test of the tour but, as usual, it’ll be a long trip for England with the series lasting into the New Year.

Here’s how the schedule for the whole series looks:

First Test, Optus Stadium in Perth: 21-25 November (UK start time: 2.20am GMT)

Second Test, Gabba in Brisbane: 4-8 December (4.30am)

Third Test, Adelaide Oval in Adelaide: 17-21 December (12am)

Fourth Test, MCG in Melbourne: 26-30 December (11.30pm, 25 December)

Fifth Test, SCG in Sydney: 4-8 January (11.30pm, 3 January)

The games will not be easy to follow for English fans at home, with much of the action taking place overnight. The second Test in Brisbane will be the easiest to watch from afar, as the day-night game will start at 4.30am GMT each morning.

All the action will be shown live in the UK on TNT Sports. The broadcaster drew some criticism for its plans for the series, which will be helmed by cycling and rugby commentators from a studio in the UK, working alongside a team of on-pitch analysts in Australia, who include Ashes winners Sir Alastair Cook and Graeme Swann.

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the 2025/26 Ashes series down under.

England are in Australia for the oldest of cricketing contests and have renewed hope of earning success away from home.

The Australians hold the Ashes and have done so since 2015 with two series wins and two series draws (both in England) occuring since England last held the urn.

The first Test of the series takes place in Perth this time around at the impressive Perth Stadium and both captains, Ben Stokes and Steve Smith, will be hoping to wrestle the advantage on the opening day’s play.

Play begins at 2.30am GMT on Friday 21 November so we’ll have all the build-up throughout the evening followed by live commentary from ball one.