Mumbai, November 19: Mark Wood has been cleared to play and is likely to participate against Australia in the first Ashes Test on Friday. England have kept their options flexible by including off-spinner Shoaib Bashir alongside five fast bowlers as they named their 12-man squad on Wednesday for the opening game. If England choose an all-pace bowling attack, consisting of four specialist fast bowlers plus all-rounder Ben Stokes, it would likely be the quickest group of bowlers they have fielded in an Ashes Test on this soil. Ashes 2025–26: Australia Stand-In Captain Steve Smith Injured in Nets but Quick Return Calms Fears Ahead of 1st Test.

The final selection probably comes down to off-spinner Bashir or seamer Brydon Carse. Since the pitch is expected to provide pace and bounce, the visitors might as well continue with their traditional strategy of relying solely on a pace attack.

Tourists have also observed a dryness on the pitch, making Bashir a contender. In this venue's brief history of hosting five Tests, Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon is the top wicket-taker with 29. England have supported Bashir, 22, as their primary spinner for over a year and he became the youngest England bowler to score 50 in Tests back in May.

However, he has not participated in a competitive match since his final wicket in a thrilling win against India during the third Test at Lord's in July. Bashir has been sidelined with a broken finger and struggled in England's sole warm-up match against England Lions, where he finished with combined figures of 2-151 from 24 overs. Ashes 2025–26: Australia Pacer Mitchell Starc Believes Brendan Doggett Set for Test Debut Ahead of 1st Test Against England.

The situation also increases the likelihood that Bashir will play in an Ashes Test without being tied to a county team, as his contract with Somerset ended after the summer. Meanwhile, the most probable England lineup includes bowlers like Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, captain Stokes, and Carse, all of whom can bowl at speeds of 90mph.

England Squad for first Ashes Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir

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