‘Read into this what you will…’: More hints over Aussie team as selection calls loom — LIVE

Australia has taken to the field for their final compulsory training session ahead of the first Test with all eyes scanning the playing group for selection hints.

The make up of Australia’s XI is still up in the air following Josh Hazlewood’s withdrawal with a hamstring strain.

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While Brendan Doggett is widely expected to replace him in the side, there is uncertainty up the other end of the order.

Jake Weatherald is in line to open with Usman Khawaja while Marnus Labuschagne could return up the order should Australia opt for bowling cover and pick two all-rounders in Cameron Green and Beau Wesbter.

Webster, who has impressed in his early Test career, is expected to be the casualty should Australia choose to hand Weatherald a debut.

But on Wednesday the tall Tasmanian could be seen fielding in third slip.

CODE Sports Daniel Cherny tweeted a photo of Webster with the caption: “Read into this what you will.”

Cherny followed that tweet up with a picture of Labuschagne replacing Webster in the cordon and another of Weatherald practicing close in catching with Travis Head.

While impossible to draw conclusions from the session, it could be a hint as to which way Steve Smith and the Australians are leaning.

And there were more potential hints to come from the session.

As spotted by Bharat Sundaresan, Weatherald and Khawaja shared a net while facing Doggett and Mitchell Starc, who were reportedly bowling with new balls.

ENGLAND PLOT FIVE-MAN PACE ASSAULT

England are preparing to deploy a five-man pace attack in the first Ashes Test in Perth after Mark Wood’s encouraging net session on Tuesday.

Ben Stokes’ side dropped a hint that a quintet of fast bowlers was the preferred make up of their bowling attack by playing Wood, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Stokes against the England Lions at Lilac Hill last week.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir and spin bowling all-rounder Will Jacks were placed in the Lions side, while Brydon Carse came in-and-out of the game with illness, but is a strong chance to play the series opener instead of Tongue.

England’s plans were almost thrown into disarray, however, when Wood was sent for precautionary scans on his hamstring after bowling on the opening day of their warm up game.

He was cleared of any serious damage and with a heavily strapped left leg sent down eights over in the nets on Tuesday afternoon to build confidence that England can stick to their Plan A.

Wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith faced Wood and said that the speedster bowled “a few that nearly took my head off, so that’s a great sign”.

Wood being fit and ready to go would mean him and fellow speed demon Archer could play in the same Test XI for just the second time in their careers, and for the first time in five years.

All-out pace is clearly how England believe they can win in Australia for the first time since 2010/11 with Matthew Potts the only one of the seven pace bowlers in the tourists’ 16-man squad who has not hit 145km/h on the speed gun in Test cricket.

It is a tactic that has received the endorsement of legendary England all-rounder Ian Botham.

“I think the West Indies did pretty well with four pace bowlers – and another six waiting to get in,” Botham told reporters in Melbourne earlier this month.

“I think it’s the right way.

“You want to be aggressive, you want the ball to come through. Players who aren’t in good form don’t like it in the ribs, so it will be interesting.”

The likely decision to leave out a spinner could backfire, however, as spin has been successful at Perth Stadium, for the hosts at least, in the past.

Nathan Lyon has taken 29 wickets at an average of 20.86 in five Test matches at the venue, including two five-wicket hauls.

HOST VENUE’S NAME CHANGE

The host venue for the first Ashes Test starting Friday has ditched the word ‘Optus’ from its signage and will instead be referred to as Perth Stadium as Australia and England lock horns for the first time this summer.

Staff at the ground have been spotted in recent day removing any ‘Optus’ branding from the venue in the latest development in what has been a testing relationship with the telecommunications company.

The name change comes off the back of Cricket Australia’s sponsorship partnership with Aussie Broadband – a rival of Optus.

It also comes after years of tension between Optus and the Western Australian government, with several service failures putting the stadium’s naming rights sponsor in hot water.

The site has been branded ‘Optus Stadium’ since it was completed in 2017 on a deal believed to be worth $50 million that ends in 2028, but it is not unprecedented for the name to be changed for major cricket events.

It happened for the 2022 T20 World Cup, where International Cricket Council rules dictate the sponsors names be removed.