England captain Ben Stokes is delighted to have all his fast bowlers fit and available for the first Test against Australia in Perth on November 21. Stokes is considering playing both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood together in the Ashes opener, giving England a fiery pace combination.
England’s pace department looks well-stocked, with Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Archer, and Wood all in good rhythm.
Speaking ahead of the warm-up match against England Lions, Stokes said it’s a huge boost to have both Archer and Wood ready again. “It’s great to have the X-factor that Joff and Woody possess in terms of pace,” Stokes said in Perth on Wednesday.
He also praised both pacers for overcoming their injury setbacks. “Woody’s obviously got over his knee surgery that he had quite a while ago… Joff has been out in the park for two and a half years now so it’s great seeing those two flying in and getting some fast balls down there.”
Although Stokes didn’t confirm whether both would feature together in the first Test, he admitted the prospect is exciting. “It would be exciting, wouldn’t it?” he said, adding that the team still has time before finalising the playing XI. “The guys that we’ve picked are all in really, really good shape.”
Stokes also stressed the importance of combining pace with precision. “It’s not just all about pace, it’s about skill,” he said. Confident in his attack’s variety, he added, “It’s going to be a tough five games, so it’s nice having a good battery of fast bowlers to choose from.”
England’s squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood
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