Australia captain Steve Smith has declined to rule out a surprise return for fast bowler Pat Cummins for the second Ashes Test against England.
Bazball is in the firing line, with former players and pundits decrying the high-risk game on Australia's spicy pitches.
The Perth Stadium curator has promised the wicket will be green, fast and bouncy but Stokes offered no thoughts on whether England would attack with four quicks or pick the specialist spinner, Shoaib Bashir, in their 11.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
''South Africa have got some world class batters and obviously they've got some unbelievable bowlers there as well so it's going to be a good challenge and obviously it's a one-off Test match.'
'That so many have reached such an advanced stage of their careers without obvious replacements is certainly a reflection of their quality, but will be a matter of concern in the case of more injuries during the series.'
The 3rd Test match in Kingston, Jamaica, will mark Australia's first day-night Test away from home and if they opt for a pace-heavy attack, Scott Boland could come into the side.
Australia's selectors chairman George Bailey defended sticking with the Test side's veteran core for the Ashes on Wednesday following criticism from former captain Steve Waugh about the team's ageing profile.
Pat Cummins on Saturday rated himself a "half chance" to play the day-night Test against England in Brisbane from December 4.
Australia will take on England in the opening fixtures of the Ashes on November 21 in Perth. Steve Smith will lead the side as Pat Cummins is not in the team due to injury.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Konstas, 20, misses out after a poor tour with the bat in the West Indies, while Weatherald has been included after topping the Sheffield Shield runs list
IMAGES from Premier League matches played on Saturday
Nottingham Forest handed manager Sean Dyche the perfect debut with a 2-0 home win over Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, with both goals coming from the penalty spot.
In Lille, substitute Olivier Giroud turned the game on its head in the 80th minute.
Olympique Lyonnais coach Paulo Fonseca has been suspended for nine months by the French Professional Football League (LFP), following a confrontation with referee Benoit Millot.
Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will replace Palace in the Europa League.
Nathan Lyon donates bats signed by Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah to support cricketers with disability
A summary of Thursday's Europa League quarter-finals second-leg.
A stoppage-time finish from Rayan Cherki earned Olympique Lyonnais a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
Miachel Vaughan pushes for injury subs after Pant, Lyon Cases
Bulgaria's Ruzhdi claimed his sixth successive gold medal in the men's shot put F55 competition with a world record throw in the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi on Sunday.
Images from Day 4 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Sunday.
Having made their Test debuts in the same year, Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin will face each other for the eighth time in the longest format during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
'He's got a pretty good record against Indian batsmen (123 wickets in 28 Tests versus India).' 'In India too he has a great record (56 wickets in 11 Tests in India), that is a pretty good record against a country that traditionally plays spin very well.'
Nathan Lyon has no immediate plans of Test retirement as he yearns for one final away series win in India before calling time on his illustrious career.
Nathan Lyon couldn't resist asking Rishabh Pant about his potential IPL destination during a break in play.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has nothing but respect for India's batting great Virat Kohli.
'We have nothing but respect for every Indian cricketer who takes the field on Friday'
Glenn McGrath said his prediction this time is based on how England were held to a 2-2 series draw by India in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy five-Test series.
Marsh's fitness has been a major concern for the hosts in the lead up to the pink ball Test, starting Friday.
On debut, substitute Marcus Rashford became the first Englishman to play a first-team game for Barcelona since former England striker Gary Lineker in 1989.
Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, behind South Africa, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.
'It was probably one of the best barbecues I've seen, to be honest with you. It came out of the blue'
Lyon emphasised that the World Test Championship format removes the possibility of "dead rubbers" in individual series, ensuring that every match remains important and competitive, with every point carrying weight within the two-year cycle.
Panesar believes Lyon is a better bowler than Ashwin because of the dominance he has imposed in Australia, where spinners struggle to find assistance from the pitch.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and spinner Nathan Lyon made history on Friday as they became the first bowling quartet in Test history to take 500 Test wickets while playing together.
Australia ruthlessly completed a 159-run victory over West Indies in the first Test in Barbados on Friday after Josh Hazlewood's five-wicket masterclass broke the hosts' resistance on a pitch that deteriorated into a bowler's paradise.
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