Ashes
A Look At The 2025 Ashes Squad Selection Dilemmas
The majority of the 22 spots for the First Ashes Test later this month are sewn up.
England know six of their top seven and two of their first-choice quick bowlers. Australia’s four, five, and seven are guaranteed. Even with Pat Cummins ruled out of the series opener, the hosts are certain of their bowling attack, with Scott Boland deputising.
The cricket betting markets make England clear underdogs. The tourists, as has become a pre-Ashes cliché, have their best chance in 15 years, and know they were some Manchester rain away from regaining the urn in 2023.
Who Partners Khawaja?
After a torrid tour of the West Indies and a lean start to the Sheffield Shield season, incumbent Sam Konstas doesn’t seem like he will retain his place. Usman Khawaja, a man likely playing his last series, needs a dependable partner, and Australia are limited on viable options.
It would be a big call to go with 31-year-old Jake Weatherald. He’s never played an international match and averages under 38 in first-class cricket. A pair of fifties against Queensland and a 94 against Western Australia put Weatherald as the form pick if it’s a head-to-head with Konstas.
Matt Renshaw is also in contention. Renshaw averages under 30 across 14 Tests. He’s had good knocks for Australia A, the ODI team, and Queensland, including a red-ball century early in October.
In the same match Renshaw reached three figures, Marnus Labuschagne scored 160. He’s followed that up with centuries against South Australia and New South Wales. He’s also had white-ball 50s against Tasmania and Victoria.
Opening for his state, Renshaw should be the leading candidate to open with Khawaja, but Australia may opt to put Labuschagne at the top of the order.
Aussies’ Three & Six Up For Grabs
Doing so would leave dilemmas elsewhere. Cam Green and Beau Webster are the presumed number three and six, respectively. Green isn’t going to be capable of filling the fifth bowler role, so Webster’s medium pacers and off spinners will be required in the middle order.
Webster has shown promising signs with the bat in his short Test career. His bowling isn’t going to strike fear into this England batting lineup, but the fifth option will prove useful for Steve Smith.
Green, who has largely been a specialist batter in 2025, doesn’t seem like he will be fit to bowl in the First Test and perhaps not until much later in the series. Australia, though, are wedded to Green as the next great thing, despite his average of 34 with the bat overall and an average of 23.5 across four Tests as a number three.
England’s Number Three
England seem like they are set on their top seven for the First Test. Ollie Pope, who lost the vice-captaincy to Harry Brook, is a man under pressure, however, and could quickly be replaced by Jacob Bethell if he doesn’t make his mark in the first couple of Tests.
With limited warm-up matches and an underwhelming white-ball tour of New Zealand, it doesn’t look like Bethell has forced the issue sufficiently for Pope to be dropped.
Wild-card selections from the Lions are possible if Pope struggles or Bethell gets injured. James Rew and Jordan Cox are atop the pecking order.
Atkinson, Archer, & Who?
Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson are the two quicks that are guaranteed to be picked for the First Test. It’s then a straight shootout between the raw pace of Mark Wood, the heavy bounce of Brydon Carse, or the streaky Josh Tongue.
Carse likely has the edge. He’s put in gruelling spells in away Tests and adds far more batting depth than Tongue or Wood. Atkinson and Carse are a formidable eight and nine behind Jamie Smith.
It might be tempting for England to go with Wood after he unsettled the Australians two years ago. Tongue is the outsider, who is more likely to come into the series if Australia’s tail causes England problems.
Jacks Looms
Will Jacks’ inclusion was the biggest surprise in England’s squad. Jacks is in as England’s backup spinner ahead of Liam Dawson and Rehan Ahmed – the latter is on the Lions’ tour in Australia.
Shoaib Bashir’s place in the team might have been up for debate on social media and among cricket writers, but England have been steadfast in their commitment to the young spinner.
It will be interesting to see how the tourists react if Bashir goes the distance in the First Test. A spinner might not be needed in the Second Test. Jacks or Bethell could play as the nominal spinner, while adding another batter. Ahmed, too, could play a major role in this series as a replacement for Bashir or Pope.
Selecting Ahmed for Pope might be England’s way to have five bowlers in the team if Ben Stokes suffers an injury.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
