Ricky Ponting names his Australia Playing XI for Ashes opener

Former Australia captain and ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting has revealed his ideal playing XI for the opening Ashes Test against England, offering a glimpse of how he would navigate a team riddled with injuries.

Speaking on The ICC Review with Sanjana Ganesan, Ponting backed Jake Weatherald for a Test debut at the top of the order and suggested Brendan Doggett as a key reinforcement to Australia’s depleted pace attack.

The visitors face a major blow with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ruled out of the Perth Test, while back-up pacer Sean Abbott is also unavailable.

Ponting’s XI reflects a reshuffled bowling unit and fresh batting options to mitigate the impact of these absences.

Ponting’s proposed lineup features Jake Weatherald and Usman Khawaja as openers, Marnus Labuschagne at three, Steve Smith at four, Travis Head at five, Cameron Green at six, Alex Carey at seven, followed by Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc, Brendan Doggett, and Nathan Lyon.

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He praised Weatherald’s recent domestic form, stating: “He’s done absolutely everything asked of him over the last month, scoring runs consistently and making a strong case for that No.3 spot.”

Ponting also highlighted Cameron Green’s all-round capabilities, noting that under normal circumstances, he could comfortably bowl eight to twelve overs per innings.

The former captain acknowledged the shifting selection landscape caused by Hazlewood’s hamstring injury, saying: “If you had asked me a week ago, my views might have been different. Now, with Doggett and Neser added, options have expanded.”

He also suggested Beau Webster could be considered to bolster all-around depth after an impressive Sheffield Shield showing for Tasmania.

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