The English team Name Bashir in Line-up for The Ashes series First Test

England have kept their options open for the series opener by selecting spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in a twelve-player team alongside five seamers

Mark Wood has been passed fit and appears likely to feature versus the Aussies in Western Australia on Friday, with the final decision likely between spinner Bashir and fast bowler Brydon Carse

Pitch Conditions

Should England choose an fast bowling unit - four main pacers along with multi-skilled player the captain - it would potentially be the most rapid assembly of bowlers they have deployed in an Ashes match in the host nation

On Wednesday WA groundsman McDonald commented to look for "speed and bounce" from the pitch at the venue, and it looks possible the tourists will adhere to a traditional approach of an exclusively pace attack

Yet the tourists have also noted a dryness to the wicket, placing Bashir into consideration

Spinning Options

Throughout the limited timeframe of the ground - five previous Tests have been hosted here - Australia spin bowler Lyon is the top wicket-taker with 29

The team have favored the young spinner, 22, as their primary spin option for more than a year and in May he became the youngest England bowler to achieve fifty wickets in Tests

However he has been absent from a official match since claiming the concluding scalp in a dramatic victory over India in the final Test at the famous ground in July

Recent Issues

He has been recovering from a broken finger and found it difficult in England's only warm-up match against the development squad, returning combined figures of 2-151 from 24 overs

This creates the prospect of Bashir participating in an Test against Australia without being contracted with a county

His deal at his county ended at the conclusion of the domestic season

Expected Selection

Still, an visiting team containing Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, skipper Stokes and Brydon Carse - all of whom are capable of reaching 90mph - continues to be the probable result

The opening match starts at early morning GMT on Friday, with real-time updates, specialist radio coverage and in-play highlights available

Team Selection

England squad for first Ashes Test: Ben Duckett, Crawley, Ollie Pope, Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (skipper), Jamie Smith (gloveman), Atkinson, Carse, Mark Wood, Archer, Bashir

Team Background

While a various England Ashes triumphs at domestically and internationally have been founded on quick bowling, they have not previously used as many express pace bowlers in the equivalent side

The team that succeeded at in England in the memorable competition of 2005 Ashes contained Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff

Raymond Illingworth's winning English side to the host nation in 1970-71 had Bob Willis, Peter Lever and John Snow, and the England team that triumphed in that period contained Statham and Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson

Current Situation

On this occasion - potentially the most exciting England-Australia contests in recent memory - the English team are looking to overturn an poor history - they have not won a five-day game in Australia since 2011

Merely five individuals of the 16-man squad have played a Test match in Australia, but the bowler comments that could work in England's favour

"This might be an benefit," he told reporters

"There are a many cricketers who have mentioned they have had difficult experiences down under

"For us, we are a quite calm, extremely confident team

"No bad memories

"It's thrilling

"We all see it as a massive chance to create history"

Australian Preparations

Australia's net session on recently was briefly delayed by the risk of storms

The hosts are probably going to provide an opportunity to batsman Jack Weatherald, with yet to debut pace bowler Doggett also joining after injuries to captain Pat Cummins and colleague Hazlewood