England lay down gauntlet after naming five 90mph seamers in Ashes squad

Already the quickest scoring team in Test cricket, England will hit Australia with their fastest bowling attack for a generation – perhaps all time – after announcing their 16-man squad for this winter’s Ashes assault.

A late curveball from Rob Key’s panel is the inclusion of Surrey’s Will Jacks, offering an attacking option with the bat and serving as the reserve spinner to Shoaib Bashir. Otherwise, the squad is largely as expected, including confirmation that Harry Brook has replaced Ollie Pope as vice-captain.

Untethering Pope from that role under Ben Stokes gives rise to the possibility of Jacob Bethell breaking into the XI for the first Test in Perth, joining a batting line-up that has scorched along at 4.5 runs per over the past three-and-a-half years. A run quicker than Australia during this time, that figure is also a historical outlier among all teams over a sustained period.

But perhaps the greatest difference compared to recent Ashes tours is the presence of five seamers capable of hitting 90mph on the speed gun. Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue are all named after featuring in the 2-2 draw with India, with Mark Wood, arguably the quickest in the world, having recovered from knee surgery back in March.

Two nine-day gaps between the first, second and third Tests offer scope for recovery but rotation is to be expected. As previously flagged in the Guardian, the fast-medium Matthew Potts has been included as an extra seamer in the stable, offering a more robust option. Chris Woakes, who dislocated his shoulder during the fifth Test against India, was deemed unlikely to be fit.

While markedly different to the side under Andrew Strauss that last won an away Ashes series in 2010-11 — more aggressive with the bat, less thrifty with the ball — there is growing optimism this is England’s best chance since that success. Though an all-conquering side in the past, the recent defeat to South Africa in the World Test Championship final hinted at Australia’s vulnerability.

Central to England’s chances of seizing on this possibility is the fitness of Stokes. The captain reannounced himself as a genuine Test all-rounder this summer, the most profitable with the ball in his career, but still ended it looking on from the sidelines with a torn shoulder muscle. As per England’s press release, he “remains on track” for the start of the tour.