The English media has reacted with cautious optimism to the naming of a pace-packed Ashes squad, with suggestions the Aussies’ loss in the World Test Championship final showed vulnerabilities that can be exposed by Ben Stokes’ team.
The decision to promote Harry Brook ahead of Ollie Pope as Stokes’ deputy also dominated discussion.
England’s unprecedented pace depth has led to belief that this could be their best chance of winning in Australia since 2010-11.
Stephan Shemilt, writing for the BBC, said: “Too often England have arrived at an Australian gunfight armed only with knives.
“Now, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Ben Stokes can fight fire with fire. It is probably the most hostile group of fast bowlers England have sent down under since John Snow and Bob Willis were at the forefront of victory in 1970-71.”
He expects the series to open with a bang.
“The first Test on a spicy Perth pitch, then the pink-ball Test in Brisbane will not be for the faint-hearted,” Shemilt wrote.
“England might not opt for a spinner in either and will hope to unleash Wood and Archer together in Perth at least.
“They will be box-office slugfests. Somehow, the tourists need to buck their trend of starting Ashes tours awfully and get out of the opening two on level terms at worst. There would be no coming back from 2-0 down.”
England bowler Jofra Archer. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Shemilt did sound caution over the ability of the line up to endure the series.
“There are arguably questions about the durability of the entire attack, as all of Archer, Atkinson, Carse and Tongue have had injury problems in the recent past. It was ever thus. Fast bowling is hard work. Archer, the trump card, has shown a recent robustness. It is a collective England could only have imagined in their wildest dreams,” he added.
The biggest bolter in the squad was Will Jacks in a backup spinner role. He hasn’t played Test cricket in three years.
Ben Gardner, writing in Wisden, said: “It’s certainly a brave selection, and, on the face of it, a baffling one too. But scratch deeper and, as with plenty of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum’s decisions, there is logic there too.
“Second-spinner selections rarely decide Ashes series, but, as England embark on the tour to end all tours, every choice needs to pay off. There is logic in Jacks’ selection, but also risk. What we know about England is that that’s how they like it.”
Ali Martin, writing in The Guardian, was relishing the chin music coming the Aussies’ way.
“Already the quickest scoring team in Test cricket, England will hit Australia with their fastest bowling attack in a generation – perhaps all time – after announcing their 16-man squad for the Ashes this winter,” Martin wrote.
“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, not Ollie Pope, will be vice-captain to Ben Stokes when the first Test begins in Perth on 21 November.
“England have taken fast bowlers to Australia before, of course, a lineage that includes players such as Harold Larwood, Frank Tyson and Fred Trueman, or Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison more recently. Notwithstanding the lack of ball-tracking before 2006, a quintet of such quicks this time around feels unprecedented, even if much will hinge on their fitness.
England captain Ben Stokes. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
“Nine-day breaks after both the first and second Tests offer scope for recovery but rotation is also likely. As flagged previously, Matthew Potts has been included as an extra seamer, offering a more robust, fast-medium option. Chris Woakes was not considered for selection after dislocating his shoulder during the fifth Test against India.
“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 that this is England’s best chance since. Though an all-conquering side in recent times, defeat by South Africa in the World Test Championship final this year hinted at Australia’s vulnerability.”
Nick Hoult, in The Telegraph, said “Harry Brook’s elevation to the vice-captaincy for the Ashes tour signals England’s future – and an ominous one for Ollie Pope.
Brendon McCullum, Head Coach of England looks on during a England Net Session at Lord’s Cricket Ground on May 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
“Brook has replaced Pope after the Surrey batsman had stood in for Ben Stokes and captained England in five Test matches.
“Most former captains agree the No 2’s job is not really of vital importance. It was diminished by some of Stokes’s predecessors because they had no obvious candidate to be vice-captain. Others were just too insecure to nominate a deputy who might be better than them and nick the top job.
“But when Stokes is captain, the identity of the deputy is vital. Who knows if Stokes’s body will stand up to the rigours of one, two, three, four or five Tests in Australia?
“There is a very good chance that Brook will lead England at least once this winter, and possibly in a pivotal Test with the Ashes on the line.
“It is an awesome responsibility on his first Ashes tour and with an unproven record in Australia with the bat. Brook scored 56 runs in five innings there at the 2022 Twenty20 World Cup and just 44 runs at an average of 6.83 in a brief stint in the Big Bash with Hobart Hurricanes four years ago.
“He is a vastly improved player since then and Test cricket is a different game, of course. He goes to Australia ranked No 2 in the world, and with an average of 57 with 10 hundreds. His class is undeniable and at 26 with 30 Tests to his name, this is the right time to take on leadership responsibilities, building on the experience gained from captaining the white-ball teams. He is clearly now the heir apparent in Test cricket.”
In the Daily Mail, Lawrence Boot, said Brook was in pole position to be England’s next Test captain.
“Brook, who this summer took charge of England’s white-ball teams, replaces Ollie Pope as vice-captain, theoretically making Pope more vulnerable to losing his spot at No 3 to Jacob Bethell ahead of the first Test against Australia at Perth on November 21,” Booth wrote.
“It leaves Brook, who has 10 hundreds from 30 Tests and an impressive average of 57, in pole position to take over the top job whenever Stokes calls it a day – or sooner, if his creaking body packs in prematurely.”
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