Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc warmed up for The Ashes series against England with a four-wicket haul for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield.
Starc (4-91), along with his Australian team-mate and off-spinner Nathan Ryan (2-65), dismissed four of Victoria’s top six and eliminated two others on the first day of play in Sydney.
Josh Hazlewood (0-54) bowled 18 wicketless overs while Sean Abbott, another member of the Ashes team, picked up another wicket as Victoria closed on 340-7.
Australia captain Pat Cummins will be hoping to be fit for the second Ashes Test, which will be played in Brisbane on a day-night basis from December 4.
Starc and Hazlewood are expected to lead Australia’s pace attack in the opening Test against England in Perth from November 21, with captain Pat Cummins expected to miss at least that match with a back injury.
Victoria’s Scott Boland, who is playing against New South Wales, has taken 49 wickets at an average of 12.63 in nine Tests in Australia and will replace Cummins in Melbourne in 2021 with a best record of 6-7 against England.
But Boland’s fellow seamer Brendan Doggett boosted South Australia’s hopes of playing in Perth with a five-for as the visitors bowled Tasmania out for 209 in Hobart.
Brendan Doggett is yet to play for Australia, but he has made his case for South Australia with five hits.
Opener Jake Weatherald and all-rounder Beau Webster were both hoping to feature in the match against England later this month after being named in the Australian squad but were not dismissed by Doggett (5-66) but were out for 23 and 14 respectively.
In response, South Australia closed on 88-3 with Australian wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey on 25 and Travis Head, another Ashes surety, caught for 9 off Webster.
Ashes series 2025-26 in Australia
Always UK and Ireland
- First test: Friday, November 21st ~ Tuesday, November 25th (2:30 AM) – Optus Stadium, Perth
- Second test (day/night): Thursday, December 4 – Monday, December 8 (4:30 am) – The Gabba, Brisbane
- Third test: Wednesday, December 17th ~ Sunday, December 21st (12am) – Adelaide Oval
- Fourth test: Thursday, December 25 – Monday, December 29 (11:30 PM) – Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Fifth test: Sunday, January 4 – Thursday, January 8 (11:30 PM) – Sydney Cricket Ground
