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The English team has opted for a twelve-player selection just 48 hours before the opening Test match, with Shoaib Bashir earning a surprise spot.

Bashir's inclusion indicates that the tourists will delay until the morning of the initial match to determine whether the venue conditions suit a pace-heavy attack or the inclusion of a spin bowler.

Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are included in the selected squad, indicating there are no doubts about their fast bowler's fitness.

The other seamers round out the bowling group, with Carse expected to miss out if the spinner enters the final team.

Pitch Factors Favor Seamers

The England coach had been expected to choose an all-seam attack on a venue that has staged several previous Tests.

In those matches, 134 wickets have been taken by pace bowling, with only a small number to spin.

Among these spin dismissals, the veteran spinner has claimed 29, while overseas slow bowlers together have just a handful.

At a venue known for its speed and carry, and whose curator, Isaac McDonald, pledged that these characteristics are “permanent and not going to change,” a side loaded with fast bowlers remains the probable decision.

Alternative Choices Weighed

Previously there was speculation that the all-rounder could be parachuted into the team to provide some slow bowling while also bolstering the batting lineup.

However the coach has opted to stick with Bashir, having stated earlier this year that he would be his preferred slow bowler for the Ashes.

Earlier, Nathan Lyon commented on the English spinner as “OK,” adding that “from my perspective, the experienced spinner is still England’s top slow bowler.”

“It is a massive role, and it can be a significant test for bowlers who haven’t done it in the past in these conditions,” Lyon remarked of spin bowling in matches Down Under.

“I’m not going to reveal my strategies so opponents come out and excel out here.”

English 12-man Squad for First Ashes Test

• The Captain
• The Pace Bowler
• The Seamer
• The Spinner
• The Batsman
• The Fast Bowler
• The Opener
• The Batsman
• The Middle-Order
• Joe Root
• The Wicketkeeper
• Mark Wood