The Ashes: Can England seize the day with no Cummins, Hazlewood at Perth?

These are exciting times to be a fan of Test cricket. Come Friday morning, the oldest battle of ‘em all — The Ashes — gets underway at Perth in another part of the globe, while India looks for redemption against South Africa back home in Guwahati from the next day.  

The hype, match-ups have been on in full swing, and with the Eden Gardens contest making a mockery of Test cricket thanks to a sub-par pitch, it won’t be surprising to have Indian cricket fans switching between TV channels. The challenge of an Ashes Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, as lively as it gets though believed to be less venomous than the WACA, may prove to be more intriguing for the cricket lovers.

In a series like this, the outcome of first Test is often key, and this is where Ben Stokes & Co. will try to seize the day against the hosts, who are on the backfoot in the absence of two of their pace warheads, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. The injured duo boasts of 604 Test wickets between them and more than the weight of statistics, the psychological havoc they wrecked on visitors over the years bowling in tandem with Mitchell Starc was overwhelming.

Starc (35) is now to lead the pace attack, while Scott Boland and the uncapped Brendan Doggett are expected to replace the injured duo. It’s not quite the same, though Boland was England’s nemesis during the 2021-22 series when he made a famous seven-wicket debut at the MCG, helping Australia retain the urn with two Tests in hand. However, England’s batters hammered the Victorian quick on home pitches in 2023.

‘’Sadly, injuries and fast bowling happen,’’ Starc said on his missing partners. ‘’But (it’s) good to see the depth in the squad. We know what Scottie Boland can do. Doggie’s (Doggett) coming off a hot streak at the moment.’’

The Aussies have also turned to the veteran Steve Smith as stand-in skipper, thanks to his enviable record in the battle for the urn. It will be, in fact, a lip-smacking affair to have Smith resuming his battle against Joffra Archer in a replay of the 2019 series, when the former was laid low in England by the English quick’s bouncer. It ushered in a certain Marnus Labuschagne, the first-ever concussion substitute in Test history, who went on to carve a niche for himself.

England have not won a first Ashes Test in Australia in nearly 40 years, nor beaten the hosts in Perth since 1978 and hence, they would like to put their best foot forward for an early lead. It may be worthwhile to remember that they have not won an Ashes in Australia from 1-0 down since Len Hutton’s team claimed the 1954-55 series.

Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root’s team surrender the urn. With former captain Root being the only relic from that dismal 4-0 series defeat, Perth will be something of a new frontier for Stokes’ men, most of whom have never played a Test in Australia and are free of the baggage of history.

Seamer Gus Atkinson, one of their many Ashes debutants, said he brought no scars. ‘’I do think it’s a good thing that a few of us are coming in with not too much experience yet,’’ he told reporters on Wednesday.

Let the action begin…

Fixtures for Ashes 2025-26

1st Test: 21-25 November (Perth)

2nd Test: 4-8 December (Brisbane, D/N)

3rd Test: 17-21 December (Adelaide)

4th Test: 26-30 December (Melbourne)

5th Test: 4-8 January 2026 (Sydney)