Cricket's most fierce and dramatic rivalry is set to unfold as two arch-rivals, Australia and England, will face each other in the first Ashes 2025-26 Test match at the Optus Stadium in Perth. On one side, Australia aims to assert its dominance yet again on home soil, and England is eyeing redemption. Australia After much anticipation, Australia has finally wrapped up its preparations and is ready to host its rivals England in the Ashes 2025-26 series. However, they will miss their regular skipper Pat Cummins, who has been recovering from his back injuries, and his participation in the upcoming matches remains uncertain. Their former skipper, Steve Smith, will take charge of the duties. Australia do not have major changes to their Test XI, but they will miss their key players due to injury, including Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Beau Webster. Australia will hand debuts to two 31-year-olds: opening batter Jake Weatherald, the top run-scorer in last season's Sheffield Shield, and seamer Brendan Doggett. Marnus Labuschagne is set to return to the final XI after a run-fest in his recent showdowns. Mitchell Starc will lead the pace attack once again, and Scott Boland will be his partner this time. Australia last played their series against the West Indies and achieved a 3-0 clean sweep. They will be entering this series on the back of confidence, taking on their rivals to take an early advantage. England England, meanwhile, is nowhere near their best in this format, but they are hopeful of turning things around this time under the leadership of the Stokes-McCullum duo. Their infamous Bazball style of effortless batting, combined with a built-up stock of fast bowlers that includes the likes of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Brydon Carse, is ready to roar on Australian soil. For England, they do not have major changes to their Test lineup, as perfect for the Perth Test match. Joe Root is expected to take charge of their batting duties, hoping to return with a few centuries on Australian soil this time. If England is to regain the urn, they need to outsmart their rivals and keep them on the back foot to fetch a victory. This won't get better to utilise an opportunity in the series. England last played against India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, where they had an initial momentum but ended up with a 2-2 series draw, credit to India's resilience. They will aim to rectify their mistakes in this series. AUS vs ENG Test Match Details AUS vs ENG Match Details Match Australia vs England 1st Ashes Test Match Date and Time Friday, November 21 to Tuesday, November 25; 7:30 a.m. IST Venue Optus Stadium, Perth Broadcasting and live streaming TV - Star Sports Network, Live Stream - JioHotstar AUS vs ENG 1st Ashes Test Pitch Report The surface at the Optus Stadium in Perth is suitable for pace bowlers, allowing them to move the ball during the start of the match and take wickets with perfect hit-the-deck deliveries, along with good pace. It will have pace and bounce to trap the batters, where the batters will have to give proper time to settle down and score runs. The average first innings total at this venue is 420, which drastically gets reduced as the match progresses. AUS vs ENG 1st Ashes Test Weather Report The weather is expected to remain cold and cloudy during the first two days, with 55% rain predicted. The conditions are expected to be chilly for this match on the final day, with the highest temperature expected to hit nearly 30°C during the day, and a humidity of 34%. AUS vs ENG Head-to-Head Records AUS vs ENG head-to-head (in Tests) Match Played 361 Won by Australia 152 Won by England 112 Draw 97 No Result 0 AUS vs ENG 1st Ashes Test Probable XI Australia: Jake Weatherald, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett. England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Brydon Carse, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer. Players To Watch Out For In the AUS vs ENG 1st Ashes Test Match Marnus Labuschagne | AUS: The number three for the Australian Test team is back with his solid domestic performance after missing out on the last series. He loves playing against England; his recent performance is a testament to his ability to play long innings. He has featured in 58 Test matches and has scored 4435 runs, including 11 centuries. He has scored two centuries and one half-century in the 6 innings of the Sheffield Shield 2025-26 campaign, scoring 402 runs in six innings. Steve Smith | AUS: Steve Smith needs no introduction, especially in this format. He loves playing against his arch-rivals, England. In the 66 Test innings, he has scored 3417 runs with 12 centuries and 13 half-centuries and a phenomenal average of 56. He will be itching to showcase his talent again, and he becomes more ruthless under his own captaincy tenure. He is one player to watch out for. Ben Stokes | ENG: The skipper of the English team is capable of winning any Test match single-handedly from any situation. He contributes from his batting and bowling, especially in crunch situations. He has featured in 115 Test matches, scoring 7032 runs with 14 centuries and also taking 230 wickets. In the last series against India, he was the standout performer, taking 17 wickets and scoring 304 runs. Joe Root | ENG: The 34-year-old batter is the leading run scorer for England in Test cricket and loves playing pace. However, he has made no centuries so far against Australia in Australia, but this will be his chance. He averages 36 there, but his recent form has been exceptional. He has been featured in 158 Test matches and scored 13543 runs with 39 centuries overall in his career so far. AUS vs ENG 1st Ashes Test Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In the last three Test matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bat all three times. Advantages of Bowling First on This Pitch There have been a total of 5 Test matches played so far. The team batting first at this venue has won all five matches here, while the teams batting second have yet to taste a single victory. AUS vs ENG Today's Test Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: Australia (opts to bat first) AUS 1st Innings: 345-380 AUS 2nd Innings: 280-320 Match Winner: Australia Scenario 2 Toss Winner: England (opts to bat first) ENG 1st Innings: 355-375 ENG 2nd Innings: 340-380 Match Winner: England Who will win today's AUS vs ENG 1st Ashes Test match? While Australia have a series-winning momentum on their back, England is desperate to turn things around this time. England will look to exploit the loopholes in the absence of injured key players and will be eyeing to take an early lead. Despite this, Australia are still strong on paper and is expected to win this match with their in-form players. England can go up to challenge them, but it is unlikely for them to win this match.