This England Ashes squad will light up Australia – or go down in flames

This is an England Ashes squad that has the capacity to blow Australia away – or go down in a flaming heap itself.

Whatever happens, the 16-man touring party led by Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum has not been devised to surrender meekly, as each of the past three England teams in Australia have done.

Most importantly, if at this stage only on paper, Stokes will have the fast bowling firepower to trouble the hosts.

Mark Wood was England’s outstanding bowler on the last trip in 2021-22, and also turned the 2023 series from a likely Australian victory to a 2-2 draw. This time, Wood will have the assistance of Jofra Archer, after a multi-year plan to nurse the whippy fast man back to full bowling health with this assignment in mind.

Behind Wood and Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue are all capable of bowling well over 140k/h. It’s a very different pace battery to those that previously featured the likes of Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Jimmy Anderson – quality bowlers but of lesser pace – and brings England closer in line with the types of speeds consistently reached by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Archer had his moments against India during their recent Test series, although maintaining speed and fitness on hard Australian surfaces will be another matter.

Nonetheless, at his best, Archer’s speed, steep bounce and ability to move the ball both ways looms as a major stumbling block for an Australian batting order of uncertain make-up.

“You can be in the change room a lot as a player and I was coaching at that time, and you see the radar gun come up and it’s hitting 150 and you think ‘oh, that’s not [that fast]’, but this looked genuinely quick,” Brad Haddin told the Willow Talk podcast about Archer in the 2019 Ashes. “He was intimidating, his bounce was steep, and he played his role to perfection.

“The spell he bowled to Steve Smith at Lord’s where he hit him and he had to retire hurt ... the one thing he does bring is a serious X-factor. He’s going to enjoy Perth, he’s going to be quick, he’s going to be intimidating, and I don’t think, if he gets injured, England can replace him or compete in the Ashes. He’s that important.”

Of course Archer, Wood and Stokes will all enter the series under fitness clouds of various kinds. Archer’s ability to stay on the park is yet to be much tested, Wood missed the English summer with a knee injury, and Stokes has only recently returned to training after a shoulder tear.

Plans for how to cover for Stokes, in particular, were writ large across the squad selection. Longtime vice-captain and No.3 Ollie Pope has lost his leadership position and will now be under threat for his place from young left-hander Jacob Bethell. The confident Yorkshireman Harry Brook, meanwhile, is the new vice-captain and will lead if Stokes is injured.

The choice of Will Jacks as the second spin bowler also carried a distinct air of wanting all-round coverage. Jacks has not played Test cricket since two games in Pakistan in 2022, but is a capable batter with destructive potential. His inclusion ahead of Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach, both better spin bowlers, was telling.

Much has been invested in the tall off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who has the capacity to defeat batters in the air while also generating plenty of overspin and bounce. But he can expect to face plenty of pressure from the home side’s batting line-up.

England’s batters will impose plenty of pressure themselves. The freewheeling “Bazball” approach will make for tremendous viewing in Australia, for either wickets or runs will come in a rush. The fulcrum of the batting line-up remains the prolific Joe Root, who will dearly wish to make centuries in Australia for the first time.

It’s nearly 15 years since England last won a Test match down under, when in January 2011 Andrew Strauss’ team completed the third innings victory of a 3-1 series belting of Australia that ushered in plenty of recriminations for the national side.

Back then, England capitalised on an Australian side that was both ageing and unsettled, in a damp summer that afforded their bowlers just enough assistance through the air and off the pitch.

But the next three tours saw Australia run up a cumulative 13 wins from 15 Tests. Stokes and McCullum know they have to bring something different this time, and the chosen squad has that capability – provided the fast men can get to the crease.

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