Australia skipper Steve Smith said Thursday it was "really exciting" to see Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett make their debuts in the opening Ashes Test against England, backing them to perform on the biggest stage.
The pair, both 31, will earn their baggy green caps at a sold-out Perth Stadium on Friday -- the first time Australia have chosen multiple debutants in a Test since early 2019.
Weatherald's inclusion as Usman Khawaja's sixth opening partner since David Warner retired last year means in-form Marnus Labuschagne can return to his favoured number three.
Labuschagne was dropped ahead of Australia's mid-year Test tour of the West Indies after an extended lean spell but came roaring back with five centuries in eight innings this season for Queensland.
Incumbent number three Cameron Green edged out Beau Webster as the all-rounder and will now come in at six, behind Smith at four and Travis Head at five.
"I watched him bat in the nets pretty closely the last few days and they were pretty tricky nets, fast, bouncy and a lot of seam," Smith, standing in as captain for the injured Pat Cummins, said of Weatherald.
"And you know, he's got a lot of courage. He wants to face bowlers the entire time, and the guys were charging in fast.
"I'm really excited for him. He's worked hard for a long period of time and I think he's going to complement Uzzie (Khawaja) pretty well up top."
- 'Improved a hell of a lot' -
Doggett, an outstanding bowler in domestic cricket over recent years, will pull on an Australia shirt for the first time after Josh Hazlewood was ruled out with a hamstring strain.
Cummins is also missing as he returns to fitness from a back injury, replaced by Scott Boland.
Boland and Doggett lead the pace attack alongside Mitchell Starc, with Smith confident they will rise to the occasion.
"Injuries happen in sport, particularly in cricket with fast bowlers, they put a lot of stress through their bodies," said Smith.
"So unfortunate, obviously, that those two are out, but I think an exciting opportunity for Scotty and for Brendan Doggett.
"Brendan's been on a few tours with Australia. He is very skillful. I think he's improved a hell of a lot the last few years and I'm excited to see him go about his business."
Stokes tells England to 'write our own history'
England captain Ben Stokes admitted Thursday beating "a seriously good" Australia will be tough but said his team was up for the challenge and had a golden opportunity to rewrite Ashes history.
The tourists have not won a series in Australia for 15 years and have crashed to defeat in 13 of 15 Tests since, with two more drawn.
But with the hosts missing influential pace spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the first Test starting in Perth on Friday, Stokes was upbeat about England's chances.
"Coming to Australia, playing against Australia, they're a seriously good team," he said.
"Everyone, including myself, knows the record of England over the history of Ashes in Australia isn't the best.
"But you know, we've got an opportunity here over the next two-and-a-half months to write our own history.
"We've obviously come here with a goal and that goal is to get on that plane mid-January, returning to England being Ashes winners.
"We know it's going to be very, very tough. It's going to be hard because beating Australia is not an easy thing."
England named a 12-man squad for the opening Test but are set to leave the final decision on who to omit until the toss.
Much will depend on how veteran paceman Mark Wood is feeling after an injury scare last week, along with a final look at a wicket which is expected to be lively.
If Wood is good to go, they will potentially field an all-speed attack also boasting Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse, although the option of including off-spinner Shoaib Bashir remains on the table.
Bashir was relegated to the second-tier England Lions in England's only warm-up match last week but Stokes said that was a deliberate tactic.
"He was always going to be in the 12," he said. "We thought it was just about getting as many opportunities to bowl as possible. And we got to face him."
Wood only sent down eight overs in the game last week before heading for scans on a hamstring niggle. He was cleared, but has barely played since knee surgery earlier this year.
Stokes said he had no concerns about the 35-year-old, who was "flying".
"I know you guys say he only bowled eight overs in the game, but he's been bowling for a long, long time," he said.
"He has always been someone who can just hit the ground running in the game, and he's bowling rapid, which is good."
The Ashes moves to Brisbane after Perth, before Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
Nathan Lyon, in his 140th Test, provides the spin option with the veteran generally thriving on home soil, where he has bagged 268 of his 562 Test wickets at an average of 31.08.
He needs two more to surpass Glenn McGrath and become the sixth-highest wicket-taker in history.
"It looks a good wicket, pretty similar to last year's one," said Smith. "I think it's going to have some decent pace and bounce in it."
England drew 2-2 at home in the most recent Ashes series, in 2023, but have not won in Australia since 2010/2011.
The visitors have named a squad of 12 for the first Test and will confirm their team at the toss.
Australia team: Jake Weatherald, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (capt), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett
Smith and Root 'greatest of their generation'
England captain Ben Stokes called Steve Smith and Joe Root the greatest batsmen of their generation on Thursday and said keeping the Australian skipper quiet was crucial to winning the Ashes.
Ahead of Friday's first Test in Perth, Australia's Smith and England's Root share 24,020 Test runs between them and 75 centuries.
But while Root is yet to score a ton on Australian soil and averages just 35.68, Smith has been potent at home. He averages an ominous 59.70 against England, including 18 hundreds.
"Not too much has changed because he (Smith) just gets runs against us, doesn't he?" Stoke said when asked if he had noticed any weakness to exploit.
"That seems to be a constant -- a serious player, has been for a very long time.
"Him and Joe Root, neck-and-neck in my opinion in terms of the greatest batters of this generation.
"You always want to come up with ways to try and keep the best players quiet. And that's something that obviously we're going to have to do. It'll be a hard thing to be able to do," he added.
"But if we can keep Steve Smith, minus all the other guys in the batting order, quiet, then we've given ourselves a good chance to achieve in the goal that we want."
Smith will lead Australia for the third time this year in Pat Cummins' absence when the Ashes get under way.
The 36-year-old's full-time reign as skipper came to an end over the South Africa ball-tampering controversy in 2018, but he has consistently filled in since.
Sure to send a scare through the England camp, his average is an incredible 68.98 in his 40 Tests as Australia captain.
Smith scored a century for New South Wales last month after not picking up a bat for six weeks, and said he was in a good place.
"I'm pretty chilled," he said. "I think I've learned a lot over my journey.
"The last couple of times that I've stood in for Patty (Cummins) I've tried to be pretty relaxed and let the game play.
"Obviously I've got to do it my own way out there and have my own style. But I'm a lot more relaxed these days, chilled, and you know, let the guys go about their work."