England Men's Cricket Team

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The pitch for the first Ashes Test will be "exactly the same" as the fast and bouncy surface at the iconic Waca, says the chief curator.

The series opener. which begins on Friday, will be the first Test between England and Australia played at the Perth Stadium with the Waca no longer used for men's Tests.

It features a drop-in pitch that is produced off-site from the same soil as the surface at the previous ground, which was one of the quickest in the world.

"Pace and bounce is what we pride ourselves on," Isaac McDonald told the BBC.

"That comes from our wicket soil, which is exactly the same as the Waca."

Drop-in pitches are common in Australia where stadiums host other sports, such as Australian Rules Football (AFL).

While there has not been a Test against England, Perth Stadium has held five previous Tests.

The data suggests that balls pitching just short of a good length reach the batter at an average of 1.04m, exactly the same as the Waca and the second-highest in the world.

"It is exactly the same soil used," McDonald said. "The base of it is identical.

"The only difference is it is in a big steel tray and gets dropped in by a big crane. The characteristics are exactly the same."

• What can England expect in Perth? Your ultimate guide to the Ashes grounds

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England "have the tools" to win the Ashes series in Australia but "have to win in Perth", says former captain Michael Vaughan.

The first Test begins on Friday in Perth with England looking to win the urn down under for the first time since 2010-11.

They have named a settled squad with the only decision remaining being whether to include Mark Wood in an all-out pace attack or pick their spinner in Shoaib Bashir.

"England arrived here in 2010-11 with a top seven that had played consistently," Vaughan told the BBC.

"This top seven has played together for a period of time now.

"They have played great at times, disappointed at times, but know their roles.

"I am genuinely excited because you look at the tools required to win down here and they have them."

Australia are more unsettled with two uncapped players - opener Jake Weatherald and bowler Brendan Doggett - in line to make debuts on Friday.

The hosts are also without Pat Cummins, their Ashes and World Cup-winning captain, and fellow bowler Josh Hazlewood because of injury.

"[Cummins] has that incredible mentality," Vaughan said.

"When they have needed a wicket it is generally him who gets the wicket. Josh Hazelwood in white-ball cricket has been Australia's standout bowler.

Scott Boland has a record [in Australia] up there with the greats, Mitchell Starc is one of these modern greats and Brendan Doggett is the star in domestic cricket.

"Australia have enough to cause a bit of damage but England have a great chance. They have got to play great disciplined cricket and win the moments."

Vaughan added: "Australia went 1-0 down to India here last year and came back.

"England have to win in Perth. You look at 1986-87 when they won here, they got off to a good start. 2010-11, they got off to a decent start - [a draw] in Brisbane.

"It will be very difficult to come back from going 1-0 down here."

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Ben Jones
CricViz Analyst

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Stuart Broad was right to hold his hands up and suggest he struggles to know how to get out Steve Smith.

In Australia, England's legendary seamer averaged 103 bowling to Steve Smith, getting him out just twice in almost 100 overs. It's fair to say that with the Kookaburra ball, he never worked the Aussie legend out.

To be fair to him, he's not alone. Since the 2013-14 Ashes which marked his arrival as a top tier batter, Smith has faced 94 bowlers in home Tests.

Only nine of them have managed to get him out more than twice, and only four of those have managed to do it at an average less than 30: Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj. Across a generation, nobody has 'worked him out'.

It's understandable. In Australia, Smith has dominated away swing (averaging 70) and inswing (averaging 92). Against balls on his stumps he averages 21, which may seem low but is still considerably better than most players. Against spinners, he's averaged 83. There aren't any obvious silver bullets.

High pace hasn't been a huge weakness. Against deliveries up above 87mph, his average still sits the right side of 50. However, it is showing signs of falling as he grows older - in the last five summers, he averages just 30 against high pace. An optimistic English fan could say Mark Wood and Jofra Archer have a sniff of unsettling him.

Ultimately, though Smith may not seem it, he is human. His weakness against pace, statistically, is the same as everyone else - good length balls in the channel.

In the last five Australian summers, if you hit a good length (defined as 6-8m from the stumps) as a seamer bowling to Smith - regardless of swing, seam, speed - you average 23. That zone where the batter cannot confidently come forward or back is still the key.

Get the line right as well, the classic couple of feet outside off, and you gain control as well, his strike-rate falling to just 13.

This England side have rarely been lauded for their patience - Ben Stokes' captaincy is far more about making constant changes and asking different questions of batters - but it may still be your best option against a batter of Smith's class.

As well as training at the Perth Stadium on Tuesday, England's players also posed for their customary pre-series photo shoot.

There was the classic team shot on the outfield, another which reminded of Peaky Blinders' Shelby family and what England fans will hope is not the last time Ben Stokes has his hands on the Ashes urn this winter...

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All eyes will be on Perth in the early hours of Friday morning when the Ashes series finally begins.

The first delivery of previous contests has produced some iconic moments - think back to Rory Burns' first-baller, Steve Harmison's wide or Zak Crawley driving Pat Cummins for four.

England have enlisted the help of former New Zealand All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka, who first started working with Ben Stokes' side during the summer.

"There is more weight on that moment and we just want people to free themselves from the tension," he told BBC Radio 4 about how he is helping players prepare for the opening moment.

"They will have a structure or a system that allows them to direct their attention to where it needs to be. If you are a batsman that will be on the ball and if you are a bowler you will have a target or something you want to achieve.

"There is no escaping the tension other than getting excited, reminding yourself where else would you want to be.

"When your mindset is directed with that intent your intention creates the intensity required to execute well."

Enoka and England coach Brendon McCullum first met when McCullum was in the New Zealand academy system.

The former Black Caps international first brought his compatriot into the England camp in the summer during the Test series against India.

"I have known Brendon for many years," Enoka said.

"When I finished with [the All Blacks] after the Rugby World Cup, Brendon had been in this job two or three years, came knocking and said 'I am keen to take this team the next level. Will you help me?'

"He has got players playing a certain style, he has a vision for him and where he wants to take it.

"My job is to help them be clear about that and deliver the structures that enable them to get there.

"If you want to be great you don't chase motivation you have got to build a system. That is my job."

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England great Sir James Anderson says England's bowlers will have to be "relentlessly good" if they are to win The Ashes in Australia.

Anderson was speaking on the Tailenders Ashes preview on iPlayer, with England embarking on their first trip Down Under without him since the 2002-03 tour.

"The pitches will have a little bit of movement in them, they have done in the last two tours we've been there. So you do need accuracy, as well as pace," said Anderson.

"I think one of the question marks for England will potentially be Ben Stokes - out of that group of bowlers, he is the one bowler that could churn out those spells of accuracy and skill.

"But he's also got that injury record hanging over him, so that could be a big part of the series as well."

Stokes is not the only member of the England attack with a lengthy injury record and Anderson expects England to rotate Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, who are both capable of bowling consistently over 90mph.

"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. 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.

"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."

The Tailenders team of Greg James, Felix White and Sir James Anderson will have Ashes specials available on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds throughout the winter.

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Opener Sam Konstas, 20, has been named in a Prime Minister's XI to face England on 29 November.

Konstas, who has won five Test caps but only reached 50 once, has been left out of the Australia squad for the first Ashes Test in Perth after a string of low scores in domestic cricket, though he did make a century for Australia A against India A in September.

The two-day fixture in Canberra is a pink-ball match designed to give the tourists preparation before the day-night second Test in Brisbane, which begins on 4 December.

Peter Hanscomb will captain the hosts, who also include 40-year-old bowler Peter Siddle, who played 67 Tests.

Prime Minister's XI to face England: Peter Handscomb (c), Benji Floros, Campbell Kellaway, Campbell Thompson, Charlie Anderson, Doug Warren, Hugh Weibgen, Joel Curtis, Nathan McSweeney, Oliver Peake, Peter Siddle, Sam Konstas, Samuel Skelly.