The Ashes Test series between traditional rivals, Australia and England, gets underway in Brisbane on Wednesday 8 December.

Match details

First Ashes Test: Australia vs England

First ball: Wednesday 8 December, 11am (AEDT)

The Gabba, Brisbane QLD

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The match will be broadcast on Channel Seven, Fox Sports and Kayo.

Head-to-head record at the Gabba: Australia 33 wins. England 9 wins. 13 Draws

Weather forecast 

Day one – Max 31, 60% chance of rain, 2 to 10mm

Day two – Max 32, 60% chance of rain, 1 to 6mm

Day three – Max 31, 50% chance of rain, 0 to 5mm

Day four – Max 31, 40% chance of rain, 0 to 1mm

Day five – Max 28, 50% chance of rain, 0 to 1mm

Squads and predicted XI

Australia 

Squad:

Pat Cummins (C), Steve Smith (VC), David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jhye Richardson, Michael Neser, Mitchell Swepson

First XI: 

1. David Warner
2. Marcus Harris
3. Marnus Labuschagne
4. Steve Smith
5. Travis Head
6. Cameron Green
7. Alex Carey (wk)
8. Pat Cummins (C)
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Nathan Lyon
11. Josh Hazlewood

Australia have already revealed their starting XI for the opening Test, with Pat Cummins to lead out a strong side in his first test as skipper.

South Australian captain Travis Head got the nod at number five over Usman Khawaja, with his state teammate Alex Carey taking over keeping duties from Tim Paine.

The only other question coming into the series opener was the place of Mitchell Starc in the side. Aussie legend Shane Warne was calling for the left arm quick to be left out in favour of West Australian Jhye Richardson, but the selectors have kept the faith with Starc, at least for now.

England

Squad:

Joe Root (C), James Anderson (VC), Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

First XI:

1. Rory Burns
2. Haseeb Hameed
3. Dawid Malan
4. Joe Root (C)
5. Ben Stokes
6. Jonny Bairstow
7. Jos Buttler (wk)
8. Ollie Robinson
9. Mark Wood
10. Stuart Broad
11. Jack Leach

England will be without 39-year-old star Jimmy Anderson for the opening Test after reports of a calf injury. It will make the task even more difficult for this English side looking to win their first Test in Australia since January 2011. Stuart Broad becomes even more important without his usual bowling partner, while Mark Wood and Ollie Robinson will have crucial roles to play with the ball.

Recent history at The Gabba and impact on the series

• 2017-18 Ashes: Australia won by 10 wickets
• 2013-14 Ashes: Australia won by 381 runs
• 2010-11 Ashes: Draw
• 2006-07 Ashes: Australia won by 277 runs
• 2002-03 Ashes: Australia won by 384 runs

Australia hold a commanding all-time record over the Poms at The Gabba, winning 33 tests with nine losses and 13 draws.

That dominance has been on full display in recent times, with Australia winning convincingly in four of the last five matches in Brisbane.

The 2002-03 Ashes clash at the Gabba is the infamous Nasser Hussain coin toss match where the England skipper sent Australia in to bat. It ended in total despair for the Poms, as Matty Hayden and Ricky Ponting smashed their attack for a comfortable win for the Aussies.

Australia came in as the underdogs in 2013-14 after losing their last three Ashes series, but the previously maligned Mitchell Johnson turned the contest Australia’s way. Johnson scored 103 runs and claimed nine wickets for the match as Australia crushed their more fancied opponents.

It has become a common theme that the opening Gabba test sets the tone for the remainder of the series. In 2002/03 Australia dominated the first Test and won the series 4-1. In 2006-07 and 2013-14 they swept the series 5-0 after big wins in Brisbane and in 2017-18 they again won 4-1.

The only time England managed a draw at The Gabba since 2000 was in the 2010-11 series. Alistair Cook made an unbeaten 235 as England produced 1/517 in their second innings to break the Aussie bowlers backs. Once again it foreshadowed the rest of the series as England went on to claim a 3-1 win to retain the urn.

The Ashes fixture

• First Test: 8-12 December at The Gabba, Brisbane
• Second Test: 16-20 December at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
• Third Test: 26-30 December at the MCG, Melbourne
• Fourth Test: 5-9 January at the SCG, Sydney
• Fifth Test: 14-18 January, 2022 at TBC*

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