The visitors Select Bashir in Team for Ashes Opener
He has secured 68 wickets at an average of 39 across 19 five-day games
The English side has maintained flexibility for the first Ashes Test by including spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in a 12-man squad alongside five pace bowlers
The fast bowler has recovered and is expected to participate versus the Aussies in Western Australia on the weekend, with the ultimate choice likely between the young spinner and pace bowler Carse
Ground Situation
Should England choose an all-pace attack - four dedicated bowlers along with all-rounder Stokes - it would arguably be the quickest collection of bowlers they have used in an Test against Australia in this country
On Wednesday Western Australia groundsman McDonald said to look for "fast and bouncy conditions" from the pitch at the venue, and it appears probable the tourists will follow a long-standing plan of an exclusively pace attack
Yet the tourists have also noted a dryness to the surface, putting Bashir into the running
Spin Considerations
In the short history of this venue - five previous Tests have been staged here - Australia spin bowler the experienced spinner is the most successful bowler with 29 dismissals
The English management have backed Bashir, 22 years old, as their primary spin option for over twelve months and in spring he became the youngest England bowler to reach half-century of wickets in Tests
But he has missed a official match after claiming the final wicket in a dramatic victory over the Indian team in the third match at the famous ground in recently
Recent Issues
Bashir has been suffering from a broken finger and had challenges in England's only warm-up match against the Lions, posting match figures of 2 for 151 from his bowling spell
This presents the scenario of the spinner competing in an Test against Australia without being contracted with a county
The agreement at the domestic team expired at the end of the home summer
Likely Lineup
Still, an visiting team containing Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, leader Stokes and Brydon Carse - each of whom are likely to hit 90mph - continues to be the probable result
The first Test starts at 02:20 GMT on the weekend, with instant commentary, expert analysis and in-play highlights available
Playing Group
England squad for series opener: Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Stokes (captain), Smith (gloveman), Gus Atkinson, Carse, Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
Team Background
Even though a number of English Ashes victories at home and abroad have been founded on quick bowling, they have never fielded as many express pace bowlers in the same team
The team that won at domestically in the memorable competition of 2005 Ashes featured Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff
Raymond Illingworth's winning English side to the host nation in that era had Bob Willis, Peter Lever and John Snow, and the English side that triumphed in those seasons featured Brian Statham and Tyson
Current Situation
On this occasion - among the most highly anticipated Test series in modern times - England are looking to reverse an poor history - they have been unable to secure a five-day game in Australia since that year
Just five players of the 16-man squad have participated in a Test in the host nation, but the bowler says that could benefit the English team
"This could represent an benefit," he mentioned to media outlets
"There are a lot of players who have stated they have had challenging periods in this country
"For us, we are a quite calm, extremely confident squad
"No bad memories
"It's very exciting
"We all see it as a massive chance to do something special"
Australian Preparations
Australia's net session on Wednesday was momentarily paused by the possibility of bad weather
The hosts are likely to hand a first cap to opener Weatherald, with new fast bowler Brendan Doggett also joining due to health issues to skipper Pat Cummins and colleague Josh Hazlewood
