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."

England named a 16-man squad for this winter's Ashes, combining aggressive batting and a rapid seam attack. Surrey's Will Jacks was included as an attacking batting option and reserve spinner to Shoaib Bashir. Harry Brook replaced Ollie Pope as vice-captain, increasing the chance of Jacob Bethell making his Test debut in Perth. England's batting has scored at 4.5 runs per over over the past three-and-a-half years, a rate faster than Australia and a historical outlier. Five seamers capable of 90mph—Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Mark Wood—feature, while Matthew Potts provides a robust fast-medium option and rotation is expected.

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