The Ashes

Marc Higginson
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

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The main debate around England's batting line-up for the first Ashes Test against Australia in Perth next week is who bats at number three.

Ollie Pope is the man in possession and assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has suggested that will remain the case when the first Test gets under way on 21 November.

However, some favour the claims of Jacob Bethell who scored his maiden professional century against South Africa in September.

Bethell, 22, has played four Tests since making his debut and BBC Sport asked CricViz to look at his non-boundary strike-rate to figure out his overall effectiveness with regards strike rotation - a perceived weakness.

If you consider all the deliveries he has faced in Tests and exclude the boundaries he has scored, Bethell has a strike-rate of 23.4.

In comparison in the same timeline, Harry Brook and Ben Duckett are striking at 44.9 and 42.0, excluding their boundary shots.

If we push the timeline back to since Brendon McCullum took over as the head coach of England's Test team, Bethell's non-boundary strike-rate is still the lowest of all top seven batters in the timeline, behind the likes of Alex Lees and Ben Foakes.

Pope is fourth of all those batters, with a non-boundary strike-rate of 38.4, behind Brook, Duckett and Joe Root.

A small detail but one which Bethell will be keen to improve.

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England captain Ben Stokes has defended criticism of his team's Ashes build-up, referring to those who have questioned the fact they are only playing one in-house warm-up game as "has-beens".

Criticism of England's preparation has come from former captains Lord Botham, Michael Vaughan and Graham Gooch.

Botham said it "borders on arrogance", Vaughan called it a "huge risk" and Gooch labelled it "glorified practice".

BBC Sport readers have been having their say on social media. Here's some of their selected comments from BBC Cricket's Instagram account:

Leon Hickman: "I love his confrontational approach most of the time but you don't need to do it against those that have your back - especially in Australia."

Dominic Charters: "Surprising and disappointing. You need all of the old guard onside when touring down there, especially in the media."

Tom Sizeland: "Why not play a four-day game against them (the Lions) and play to a proper match situation? It's their only tour game - not sure why they wouldn't just ensure the batters/bowlers get the necessary hours in."

Colin Armstrong: "How about this - England try something different and win The Ashes. Simple."

You can continue the debate on Instagram, external, Facebook, external and by using #bbccricket on X.

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Steve Smith maintained his good form before the Ashes but could not prevent New South Wales being thrashed by Victoria as Josh Hazlewood sat out the third day of the Sheffield Shield match.

Smith countered a lively pitch to make a defiant 56 not out as NSW, set 426 to win, collapsed to 125 all out to be beaten by 300 runs.

Opener Sam Konstas, who made 27, was the only other batter to make more than 13 and Smith has scores of 118, 57 and 56 not out in three innings this winter.

With 14 of Australia's Test squad playing in the Shield this week, Hazlewood suffering an injury scare and NSW team-mate Sean Abbott being ruled out of the first Test against England with injury, their other concern for the Ashes hosts on Wednesday came from another low score for key middle-order batter Travis Head.

The 31-year-old, who will have no further time in the middle before next week's Test in Perth, followed nine in the first innings with 15 in the second as South Australia fell to defeat against Tasmania.

He began the season playing for Australia's white-ball sides but had one score above 30 and four single-figure returns.

Head has only reached 40 once in his past 20 innings across formats in a run going back to June.

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Josh Hull is hoping to give England's Ashes batters a thorough workout in this week's warm-up match in Perth and insisted England Lions are not there to play the Test side into form.

Head coach Brendon McCullum has opted against any tour matches against local opposition ahead of the marquee series, taking preparations in-house with a three-day clash against Andrew Flintoff's second string at Perth's Lilac Hill (13 November, 02:00 GMT).

The standard of domestic opponents has not always been reliable and England are banking on Thursday's fixture being enough before the first Test at Optus Stadium on 21 November.

And Hull, a once-capped seamer who at the age of 21 remains firmly on the radar, is hoping to do his bit by making life hard.

The 6ft 7in left-armer, who was handed a surprise international debut in 2024 after only a handful of first-class games, said: "For England you want the batters to be in good form and whacking it about but once you get into the battle, my job as a bowler is trying to take wickets for the Lions.

"There's obviously two sides to it but my main job is to get those guys out. You want them to have a good run out and feel good but we'll play our part by being really competitive.

"We've got some big names to bowl at, be it (Joe) Root or (Harry) Brook or the two openers who can be really difficult to bowl at. It's a great test for us and it's really exciting.

"Hopefully I can get a bit more out of the pitches than I do at home, they're a lot bouncier and that could be really helpful."

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Ben Duckett says England captain Ben Stokes has gone into "beast mode" as the Ashes series in Australia nears.

Stokes has been sidelined since late July with a shoulder injury but he is expected to be fit to lead England in their first Test against Australia, starting on 21 November in Perth.

"We've been out here for a few days and he's been in beast mode," opening batter Duckett told the Willow Talk podcast.

"He's been running, bowling two spells, batting for two hours. The way he trains these days is something I've never seen before. He's an absolute beast.

"He's probably the most important man in this side when he's bowling so hopefully he stays fit for all five Tests and he's bowling in all of them because he's crucial for us."

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Legendary former all-rounder Lord Botham has suggested England should pick four frontline fast bowlers in the first Ashes Test against Australia.

Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts are all in England's squad alongside all-rounder and captain Ben Stokes.

Picking four quicks would likely mean omitting spinner Shoaib Bashir.

"I think the West Indies did pretty well with four pace bowlers - and another six waiting to get in," said Botham, who played 102 Tests between 1977 and 1992.

"I think it's the right way.

"You want to be aggressive, you want the ball to come through. Players who aren't in good form don't like it in the ribs, so it will be interesting."

Botham also name-checked Durham pace bowler Carse, who has taken 36 wickets in nine Tests but is yet to play in an Ashes series.

"I think Carse might surprise a few of you," Botham told reporters in Melbourne.

"He's a very aggressive bowler and he's got enough pace to make you hop around a bit. He can bat a bit as well."

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Cameron Green returned to bowling and fellow Australia all-rounder Beau Webster took five wickets as the tussle for a place in the hosts' Ashes XI continued in the Sheffield Shield.

Green bowled two four-over spells and returned figures of 1-18 in Western Australia's four-day match against Queensland in Perth.

The 26-year-old, who took WA's first wicket by nicking off opener Angus Lovell on 11, is in Australia's squad to play England but the uncertainty around his fitness - he had not bowled since an initial comeback in early October after back surgery last year - has left questions around Australia's XI.

If not fit, Green could play as a specialist batter at number three which would mean Marnus Labuschagne moves up to open and Webster retains his place at number six.

But Webster strengthened his case to play regardless of Green's form by taking 5-50 on day two of Tasmania's match against South Australia.

He failed again with the bat, however, later being dismissed for eight after making 13 in the first innings.

Elsewhere, Marnus Labuschagne continued his good form with 50 from 87 balls against Green's Western Australia.

Uncapped opener Jake Weatherald followed his 23 in the first innings for Tasmania with 30 in the second while Steve Smith scored 57 as New South Wales struggled against Victoria.

Smith was the only batter to make more than 16. Australia seamer Scott Boland took 2-27 for Victoria.

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport journalist

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Australia batter Steve Smith has been warned to expect Bodyline bowling from England's pace attack in the forthcoming Ashes.

Former Australia opener Simon Katich has predicted England coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes will deploy an approach akin to the controversial tactics to unsettle the 36-year-old.

Smith has scored 3,417 runs in 37 Tests against England at an average of 56.01, including 12 centuries and is seen as a pivotal player for Australia.

"They [Stokes and McCullum] will have seen what the New Zealand did to Steve Smith a few years ago so successfully in Australia," Katich told BBC Radio 5 Live's Ashes preview show.

"I would be surprised if that wasn't the same plan. As soon as Steve Smith came to the crease there were fielders scattered everywhere. I hate to use the word 'Bodyline' but that's exactly what it was, really."

In the 2019 Ashes, England fast bowler Jofra Archer hit Smith on the helmet with a 92mph bouncer during the Lord's Test, which resulted in Marnus Labuschagne becoming Test cricket's first concussion substitute.

Smith subsequently missed the next Test at Headingley through concussion.

"Neil Wagner executed it [for New Zealand] and went hard from the word go. Albeit not the same pace as England have got up their sleeves," added Katich, who played 56 Tests and 45 one-day internationals for Australia.

"I'd be very surprised if that doesn't hit Steve Smith and maybe other Australian batters who are later in the careers in the next few weeks."

England won the Ashes in Australia in 1932-33 under the captaincy of Douglas Jardine using bowling tactics which targeted a batter's body with short-pitched deliveries known as fast leg theory but coined as Bodyline.

The approach led to ill feeling between England and Australia and prompted a change to the laws.

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Australia's batters will not be scared by England's pace attack in the Ashes, according to Mitchell Johnson.

England have assembled their fastest group of bowlers for a generation as they aim to win a series in Australia for the first time since 2010-11.

Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will spearhead the pace attack, with Archer famed for hitting Steve Smith with a delivery so ferocious in 2019, it forced the Australia skipper off the field with concussion.

However, ex-fast bowler Johnson says Smith - and Australia - will not be fazed by Archer's return after years of battling injury.

"Since that match, Archer's debut more than six years ago, he has barely played Test cricket - 14 more games in fact and just two Tests in the past four years," wrote Johnson in The West Australian., external

"The way he is spoken about it sounds like he's played a hundred.

"Archer has been out of the game for a long time with injuries, and while his highlight reel looks great, consistency is what matters in Test cricket.

"Their [England's] Ashes hopes rest on whether Wood and Archer can stay fit, stay fast, and stay relentless across five brutal Tests in Australian conditions.

"The Australian top order won't be fearful of the Wood-Archer combination. Respectful, yes, but not afraid."

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Mitchell Starc prepared for the Ashes by taking four wickets for New South Wales but opener Jake Weatherald was out cheaply as he tries to secure a place Australia's XI.

Weatherald, 30, was given his first Australia call-up last week but was out for 23 on day one of Tasmania's Sheffield Shield match against South Australia.

The left-hander and Usman Khawaja are the only openers in Australia's squad for the first Test against England in Perth but Australia could yet promote Marnus Labuschagne from his preferred position of number three.

Other than Khawaja, all of Australia's Test squad are playing in the Sheffield Shield this week to prepare for the first Test, which begins on 21 November.

Starc, bowling with the red ball for the first time since July, took 4-91 against Victoria at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

He was joined in the NSW attack by Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who claimed 2-65, and fellow quick Josh Hazlewood, who took 0-54 in 18 overs.

Steve Smith is captaining the home side while seamer Scott Boland is in the Victoria XI.

All-rounder Beau Webster was out for 13 when alongside Weatherald for Tasmania but he did later dismiss Australia team-mate Travis Head for nine.

Brendan Doggett, one of Australia's supporting quicks to Starc, Hazlewood, Boland and injured captain Pat Cummins, took 5-66 for South Australia.

All-rounder Cameron Green is expected to bowl for Western Australia in their match against Queensland starting on Tuesday as he tries to prove his fitness.

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Australia Test hopeful Jake Weatherald says being sledged by England fans in the Barmy Army would be "one of the greatest moments of my life".

The 31-year-old has been included in Australia's squad for the first Test after an impressive 18 months in the Sheffield Shield.

The left-hander averages 41.33 in three matches this season, having finished last season as the top run-scorer and with an average of 50.33.

Asked by ABC how he would handle the pressure of a series that could be fiery, Weatherald said: "I don't really know, to be fair. I can be pretty reserved at times, but I can be pretty fiery as well.

"It'd be funny. I'm sure if someone starts saying stuff to me, I probably can't hold myself back, but at the same time, I'm not going to go out looking for it.

"I'll just take it on for what it is and every moment is going to be a cool experience.

"Being sledged by the Barmy Army would be one of the greatest moments of my life."

Chief selector George Bailey stopped short of confirming Weatherald would make his debut in Perth, but told the Tasmania batter the day after his 31st birthday.

"It was awesome. It was the best present I've had in a long time," said Weatherald.

"It's probably not as glamorous as what you'd probably make it out to be when you're a kid, but at the same time, like, it's no less momentous at the time.

"I didn't call my dad because he's notorious for telling everyone and at the time, the squad hadn't been announced. I knew if I called him, half of Australia would know before the team was announced, so I left that.

"My mum was in Japan with my stepdad, so that was pretty safe and my wife is pretty good at keeping secrets. It was good."