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England have kept their options open for the initial Ashes match by selecting slow bowler the young spinner in a squad of twelve alongside five seamers

Mark Wood is declared fit and appears likely to feature against Australia in Perth Stadium on Friday, with the last selection possibly between off-spinner Bashir and fast bowler the seamer

Wicket Factors

Should England choose an fast bowling unit - four main pacers plus all-rounder Stokes - it would potentially be the quickest collection of seamers they have used in an Ashes match in this country

On Wednesday WA groundsman Isaac McDonald stated to expect "pace and bounce" from the pitch at Perth Stadium, and it appears probable the English will stick to a traditional approach of an exclusively pace attack

However the visitors have also observed a arid quality to the pitch, placing the spinner into contention

Spinning Options

Throughout the limited timeframe of Perth Stadium - five earlier Tests have been staged here - Australian off-spinner Lyon is the top wicket-taker with 29 dismissals

England have backed the young spinner, 22 years old, as their main slow bowler for more than a year and in recent months he was recognized as the youngest England bowler to attain fifty wickets in international Tests

However he has missed a first-class game since taking the last dismissal in a thrilling win over India in the third match at Lord's in recently

Current Concerns

Bashir has been out with a broken finger and found it difficult in England's only warm-up match against the development squad, posting overall statistics of 2 for 151 from twenty-four overs

This creates the possibility of the spinner competing in an Ashes match without being contracted with a first-class side

The agreement at his county expired at the conclusion of the domestic season

Probable Team

Nevertheless, an English side containing Mark Wood, Archer, Atkinson, skipper Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse - all of whom are likely to hit 90mph - remains the probable result

The initial game starts at early morning GMT on Friday, with instant commentary, specialist radio coverage and in-play highlights available

Team Selection

England squad for initial Ashes match: Ben Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Joe Root, Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Smith (wicketkeeper), Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Wood, Jofra Archer, Bashir

Historical Context

Even though a number of successful Ashes campaigns at in England and overseas have been constructed around fast bowling, they have not previously used as numerous fast bowlers in the equivalent side

The lineup that triumphed at home in the famous series of that year featured Steve Harmison, Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff

The captain's triumphant visitors to Australia in those years had Willis, Peter Lever and John Snow, and the English side that triumphed in 1954-55 featured Statham and Tyson

Current Situation

On this occasion - potentially the most exciting Test series in recent years - England are hoping to change an poor history - they have not won a Test match in the host country since 2011

Only five members of the 16-man squad have experienced a Test in the host nation, but the bowler states that could help the visitors

"It could be an benefit," he told media outlets

"There are a numerous athletes who have mentioned they have had difficult experiences in this country

"For us, we are a quite calm, very positive team

"No negative experiences

"It's thrilling

"We all see it as a huge opportunity to do something special"

Australian Preparations

Australia's net session on recently was briefly delayed by the risk of storms

Australia are likely to give a debut to opener Jack Weatherald, with uncapped pace bowler Brendan Doggett also being included due to injuries to skipper Pat Cummins and colleague Hazlewood