BIRMINGHAM: Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat in the first Ashes Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Ashes-holders Australia have not won a match of any kind at Edgbaston since 2001, while England have won their past 11 internationals at the Birmingham ground.
Australia are looking for their first Ashes series win in England in 18 years.
As expected, the visitors included all three players given lengthy bans for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year — David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and former captain Steve Smith.
Openers Bancroft and Warner can expect to be booed on their way to the middle judging by the hostile reception Warner and top-order batsman Smith received during the recent World Cup in England and Wales.
Reserve wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was included as a specialist batsman after making three hundreds for Australia A on their tour of England.
Usman Khawaja was also back in the top order following a hamstring injury that cut short his involvement in the World Cup, which saw Australia defeated by eventual champions England in an Edgbaston semi-final.
Australia also included experienced paceman Peter Siddle, who has been playing English county cricket this season for Essex, in an attack featuring James Pattinson and Pat Cummins.
But there was no place for World Cup spearhead Mitchell Starc.
England captain Joe Root named his side on Wednesday.
James Anderson, England´s all-time leading wicket-taker, returned after missing last week´s win in a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord´s.
The Edgbaston match is the first of a five-Test series and the first of the ICC´s new World Test Championship, with players´ names and squad numbers set to be displayed on the backs of their shirts for the first time in this format.
Teams
England: Rory Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Root (capt), Joe Denly, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Australia: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (capt/wkt), Pat Cummins, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon
Umpires: Joel Wilson (WIS), Aleem Dar (PAK)
TV umpire: Chris Gaffaney (NZL)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
