The England captain, Ben Stokes, has arrived in Australia in advance of the much-anticipated Ashes Test series of 2025-26. A photo of the star all-rounder taken outside the airport has already made headlines across Australian newspapers as both teams prepare for what promises to be another thrilling cricketing contest between two fierce rivals.

For Australia, the mind games appear to have already begun. While former cricketers such as David Warner and Glenn McGrath have made bold predictions about the series, one local daily has gone a step further, taking a mocking swipe at the visiting England skipper.

The Australian newspaper The West Australian labeled Ben Stokes as “England’s Cocky Captain Complainer” on the front page of its latest edition. The article also reminded readers of 'crease-gate' from the 2023 Ashes in England, where Jonny Bairstow was stumped by Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey, causing much rage among English fans and players.

Australian Media Takes Aim at Stokes and ‘BazBall’

Referring to Stokes’ arrival, The West Australian ran a sharp headline that read: “England’s Cocky Captain Complainer, still smarting from crease-gate, lands in Perth early thinking dopey ‘BazBall’ can take the Ashes.” The remark is seen as part of the traditional pre-Ashes banter that often heats up before the contest officially begins.

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This isn’t the first time the Australian press has taken jabs at England ahead of an Ashes series. Back in 2013, the Brisbane Courier Mail refused to mention Stuart Broad’s name, calling him “the 27-year-old medium pacer” after he didn’t walk following an edge.

The 2025-26 Ashes series is scheduled to commence on November 21 at the Optus Stadium, Perth and will signify the next chapter of cricket’s oldest rivalry. It will also contribute toward the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, adding extra significance to the Australia-England battle.

Jake Weatherald's inclusion in the Ashes 2025 squad has intrigued the cricketing public, with many people speculating over the mystery of the man selected for an unsuspected opportunity. Weatherald has a reputation for being reliable and proven domestic form. His selection for the first test was somewhat unexpected but did demonstrate to the selectors their confidence in Weatherald's current form and ability to cope in a pressurized environment. His strong run of performances throughout this year's Sheffield Shield batting tallied Weatherald up to become a top performer of the season, leading him to have finally been selected for the Baggy Green on one of the biggest stages of cricket.

The Australian selectors made some brave choices leading into the series, selecting the squad and discarding Sam Konstas, who had only opened during the West Indies tour, while Nathan McSweeney also missed out, possibly due to not being able to find much rhythm with the bat. Both had been challenged early in the competition in their Sheffield Shield matches making the perfect opportunity for Weatherald. The management also considered Matt Renshaw's selection after he was involved in the ODI setup, but it was Weatherald who secured the opening spot in the Ashes lineup through a weight of timely scores.

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Who is Jake Weatherald?

Jake Weatherald has been one of Australia's most reliable run-scorers in domestic cricket for a long time, and it was his recent form that forced selectors to reward him. Last season in Sheffield Shield cricket, the left-hander led the way with the bat, scoring 906 runs in 18 innings at 50.33, including three centuries. Weatherald's insatiable hunger for runs and ability to adjust to different conditions made him one of the most reliable domestic performers, and it added to his case for national selection in the lead-up to the Ashes in 2025.

Weatherald started the new Shield season of 2023-24 with continued form, scoring back-to-back fifties against Queensland and following that with a determined 94 on a difficult Perth surface against Western Australia. His early-season scores of 67, 57, 18, 94, 0 and 12 show that he is not only in form, but has the mental toughness to score when conditions are challenging. Weatherald has scored 5269 runs at an average of 37.63 in 143 innings of First-Class cricket, including 13 centuries and 26 50s, which supports his case for inclusion in the national team.

Outside of red-ball cricket Weatherald has demonstrated versatility in the white-ball format too. In 51 List A games, he has scored 1,602 runs at an average of 33.37 with 8 fifties and 4 hundreds - while in the BBL he has scored 2,176 runs at a 131.24 strike rate with 15 fifties and a hundred. Weatherald notably delivered a match-winning innings in BBL 2017/18 Final, leading Adelaide Strikers to the championship. At 31 years of age, Weatherald looks to be a player in great form and his impressive performance in challenging early-season testing conditions has solidified him as one of Australian cricket's top batting prospects.

Will Jake Weatherald feature in playing XI for the opening Test of Ashes 2025?

The question now that Jake Weatherald's credentials have been established, is whether he will be selected in Australia's playing XI for the Ashes opener. Australia's 14-man squad has several top-order players including Usman Khawaja, Weatherald, and Marnus Labuschagne. The main conflict for selectors is whether to keep Cameron Green at No.3, where he has been versatile, or whether to put Labuschagne back in his preferred role. If Labuschagne returns to one-down, it is likely that Weatherald will be asked to partner Khawaja as an opening pair, creating a reminiscent left-handed opening pair to that of David Warner's days.

Australia could also decide to pick all three – Labuschagne, Green, and Weatherald – by putting Green further down the order at 5 or 6 to bolster the middle order and allow each batter to bat in their natural position. Weatherald was chosen, he would be Australia’s oldest Test debutant since Scott Boland, who had a breakout performance in the previous home Ashes. This is reflective of Australia’s growing confidence in seasoned domestic players who have earned their opportunity after productive years of high performance in the Sheffield Shield.

Ashes 2025 Series schedule:

Australia's First Test squad for Ashes 2025 

Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

England's First Test squad for Ashes 2025

Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.