Four years after humiliation, England's unfinished story meets its moment of truth

It all now comes down to one final question. Can England finish their story?

Four years ago, England left these shores not simply having lost another Ashes series. They had lost their spirit, and some might say even their dignity as a Test team. It was simply that bad. It was simply that humiliating. In some ways, they had been laid flat along with Rory Burns' leg stump pretty much after the first delivery of the series in Brisbane.

And they lay there on the mat staring at the ceiling for the next seven or so weeks as Australia ran roughshod over them. Knocked out and pummelled into submission.

Having hit rock bottom, it's from the ashes of that 2021-22 Ashes debacle that England embraced an attitude adjustment before establishing a new world order as a Test team. That was the birth of what is commonly referred to as Bazball. While there's been a lot said and written about England's transformation from that point on, everything that's transpired in the interim has sort of felt a bit incidental in the bigger picture. For, through every spectacular win and equally sensational loss that's resulted from England's gung-ho approach ever since, the focus for Ben Stokes and his team has always seemed to centre around whether their new finishing move would work on Australian soil.

Not only to make up for the embarrassment from four years ago, but to avenge it. To give Australia a dose of their own medicine. To win back their dignity. To get back their pride. And to ultimately get their hands on the urn. This is their Wrestlemania Main Event. It all comes down to this. For if Australia manage to kick out of this and find a way to be triumphant again, then you wonder if there's anything left in the English arsenal.

Every Ashes series has its own dramatic build-up, a lot of promos cut from fans and experts of both countries. But maybe because of how different this England team comes across in terms of both their aura and their freakish performances in the last three-and-a-half years, there's a unique vibe this time around. Like England actually have the firepower to not just knock the Aussies off their feet on home soil, but to even keep them there for the count.

You can feel it in the way the Australian fans and even the former players are talking them up. You can also witness it with the palpably massive interest that surrounds this particular Ashes. Like we truly are on the cusp of an iconic series, even before the first ball's been bowled.

That sense of belief among the English faithful is accentuated by the fact that around 40,000 English fans have descended upon the city of Perth, which has officially run out of hotel rooms. With all your traditional hotel booking websites saying "99 per cent of their properties had been sold out" even two weeks out from the first Test. It's the same with ticket sales at Perth Stadium, with no tickets available for the first three days of this game at a venue which has never quite filled up every seat for a Test match.

With Australia having lost both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the first Test, there's even additional significance to this opening Test with England now with their best chance to take an early lead in an away Ashes series.

But in classic Stokes' fashion he wasn't ready to buy too much into the overimportance laid on this Ashes when it came to how it could define the legacy of his Test team. When asked if this Ashes series was indeed a culmination or if it was more a monumental destination for his Bazballing team, Stokes chose to play it down.

"I understand what the series means in my journey as England captain. It's certainly the biggest series that I will lead the side in. I'm aware of that, Brendon's aware of that as coach, Rob Key is aware of that in his role as well. For me personally, it's not going to detract from what I've given to my role as England captain. It's been three-and-a-half years, a lot of time and effort put into this role, something I've thoroughly enjoyed. I wake up every morning loving what I do, because it's the greatest honour in English cricket to lead this team out. But by no means does that mean that I'm not desperate to be an Ashes winner."

Or in other words, a team desperate to finish its story.

When: Australia v England, 1st Ashes Test, November 21, 2025, 10:20 hrs Local Time, 13:20 hrs AEDT, 07:50 hrs IST

Where: Perth Stadium, Perth

What to expect: The Test pitches in Perth have generated immense interest for decades, firstly at the WACA and even more so at the Perth Stadium. While it always does start off with a green tinge on top, there's also enough moisture that needs to be left on top by curator Isaac Mcdonald to ensure that the harsh Perth sun doesn't dry it out too quickly for then cracks to start making an appearance, which it does inevitably, and is one of the reasons why Nathan Lyon has such good numbers here. The next few days aren't expected to be as hot as last summer, when the surface did get baked significantly. But as history suggests, batting first is the way to go here, even for Stokes, it would mean going against his own principles. Making it an even more intriguing prospect than it already is.

Team News

Australia

It's been firming up to be Jake Weatherald's moment of glory for a few weeks now, and especially after he was picked in the squad for the first Test. And he will be the one partnering Usman Khawaja as the latest Test opener for Australia. Meanwhile, sharing the new ball should be the other 31-year-old on debut, Brendan Doggett, who gets his long-awaited chance to get his Baggy Green. That also means Marnus Labuschagne is back at his normal position of No 3 and Cameron Green returns to No 6 to play as the genuine all-rounder.

Playing XI:Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett

England

While the main scrutiny within the English camp has been around Mark Wood's fitness, the only question that now remains is if they go with the spinner in Shoaib Bashir, to possibly use the deteriorating pitch late in the Test, which would force Stokes to bat first if he wins the toss, or if they stick with a five-man pace attack that will include Brydon Carse. Maybe it is purely a case of them wanting to see the look of the pitch once on the morning of the Test before taking that call.

Probable XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse/Shoaib Bashir, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer