AUS vs ENG Fantasy Prediction Today | Fantasy Cricket Tips, Playing XI, Pitch Report – 1st Test Match, The Ashes 2025-26

Match Preview

One of the most-awaited tournaments in Test cricket is set to get underway this week as Australia hosts England for the biennial Ashes series. Australia has been holding on to the urn for almost a decade now and will be eager to retain the coveted trophy. However, it seems a difficult ask as the hosts are playing this match without the two frontline seamers, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. However, the team has plenty of talented youngsters and playing at home is an added advantage.

England’s Test record in Australia isn’t the best. The last time they won a red-ball game in Australia was back in 2011. This also the first Ashes tournament in a long time where two of thier best fast bowlers, Stuart Broad and James Anderson, are not playing. In such a scenario, all eyes will be on the batting line-up, which has been one of the team’s biggest advantages in recent years

Team Stats

Australia	Vs	England
10	Matches Played	10
80%	Win	50%
340	Average Score	392
654	Highest Score	669
180	Lowest Score	143

Head to Head Record

Teams	Matches Won
Australia	7
England	3

Probable Playing XI

Australia Expected Playing 11

Usman Khawaja, Jake Weatherald, Steve Smith (C), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (WK), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland

England Expected Playing 11

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir

Also Check: AUS vs ENG Match Prediction

Injuries & Illnesses

Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood have been ruled out for the Australian team for this match.

Pitch Report & Weather Conditions

We are expecting a green-top pitch for this match. The seamers will be able to extract pace and bounce from the surface, and we can expect a close contest between the bat and ball. The surface is likely to crack as the match progresses, and the spinners can expect some help during the last couple of days.

The weather is expected to be cloudy, with some rain over the weekend, but things should clear out on Monday.

AUS vs ENG Fantasy Top Picks

Wicketkeeper

We are selecting Jamie Smith from this category. He is a quality batsman and is likely to play an important role in this match.

Batters

Joe Root and Steve Smith are our top choices. We are also selecting Marnus Labuschagne and Harry Brook.

All Rounders

Ben Stokes is one of the best all-rounders in Test cricket and is an obvious choice.

Bowlers

We are going with three seamers in the form of Mitchell Starc, Gus Atkinson, and Scott Boland. Nathan Lyon comes in as the specialist spinner.

AUS vs ENG Captain and Vice-Captain Choices

Captain

We are nominating Ben Stokes as the captain of our team. He is a quality all-rounder who can make a big contribution with the bat and ball.

Vice-Captain

We are selecting Mitchell Starc as the vice-captain of our team. He has an excellent record at Perth and against England and is likely to play an important role in this match.

AUS vs ENG Fantasy Team Head-to-Head Contests

AUS vs ENG Fantasy Team Mega Contests

AUS vs ENG Team Expert Advice

We have selected a balanced side for this match as the pitch is likely to favour both bowlers and batsmen. The surface is likely to help the seamers, and we have therefore opted for a seam-heavy bowling unit for this game.

Notable stats

Most Fantasy points

Ben Stokes has 991 points from the last 5 matches at an average of 198 points per game.

Most Runs

Joe Root (537), Harry Brook (481), Steve Smith (478)

Most Wickets

Scott Boland (50), Brendan Doggett (45), Gus Atkinson (40)