{"id":442586,"date":"2025-09-22T05:43:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T05:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/442586\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T05:43:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T05:43:29","slug":"the-ashes-how-england-will-fight-fire-with-fire-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/442586\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ashes: How England will fight fire with fire in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cAustralians have made me fight for every run I have ever made. It is a hard game against them. The grounds are hard, the ball is hard, the men are hard. You need to be harder than they are to beat them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Len Hutton was consumed by beating Australia in Australia, one of cricket\u2019s toughest tasks. He managed it once when captaining England in 1954-55 not least because he could call upon the frightening pace of Frank \u2018Typhoon\u2019 Tyson. That side\u2019s 3-1 victory was England\u2019s first Ashes win Down Under for more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

England have only won only five series in Australia since the Second World War, their last coming in 2010-11. That trip, meticulously masterminded by head coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss, also saw their last Test match win on Australian soil. Whitewashes and humiliations have followed in the period since.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Frank Tyson, the Typhoon, blows through Australia in Adelaide in February 1955 (Central Press\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The blueprint for victory in Australia looks simple on paper \u2014 score big runs, catch all your catches, take 20 wickets per match \u2014 but much harder to do in practice; particularly that last bit.<\/p>\n

Bowling at run-hungry batters on largely unforgiving pitches in vast, cacophonous stadiums with huge outfields in front of a partisan and at times baying crowd \u2014 plenty of English bowlers have found bowling in Australia akin to a Sisyphean task.<\/p>\n

England\u2019s head coach Brendon McCullum knows he needs what he describes as a \u201ccartel\u201d of fast bowlers fit and firing to challenge for the urn this winter. With the Ashes squad to be announced imminently, The Athletic spoke to one of the main men responsible for making sure that happens.<\/p>\n

England\u2019s elite pace bowling coach Neil Killeen tells us how the pace unit is shaping up and what attributes they each offer that could go some way to securing England\u2019s first victory in Australia in a generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cFast bowling is in my blood, there\u2019s nothing like it,\u201d says Killeen. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of miles spent on English motorways in this job but I wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Killeen has been in the role since 2023. A former fast bowler with Durham, he took 262 first-class wickets for the county before moving into a coaching role there, a position \u2014 along with stints as part of England Under-19s and Lions squads \u2014 that has seen him nurture the talents of Mark Wood, Ben Stokes, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts from their teenage years up to the present day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Neil Killeen, England\u2019s elite pace bowling coach (Gareth Copley\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

He describes the job as an \u201cemotional rollercoaster\u201d, being there for the players during their highest and lowest moments, through garlanded performances on an international stage but also the injuries that are more or less baked into a fast bowler\u2019s lot. Not to mention the ensuing, and often numerous, stints of rehab.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you get emotionally invested,\u201d says Killeen. \u201cThe job is as much about being there for the bowlers psychologically as it is about doing physical work with them. You are a confidant and offer an arm round the shoulder; at times that\u2019s much needed. Sometimes the conversations you have over a coffee are like gold dust, you need that honesty and that trusted relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys go to some pretty brutal places both mentally and physically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apt then, that first bowler we discuss is England\u2019s Test captain\u2026<\/p>\n

Ben Stokes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 34
Style:<\/strong> Right arm fast
Test record:<\/strong> 115 matches, 230 wickets at an average of 31.64<\/p>\n

Killeen on Stokes:<\/strong> \u201cBen and I did a huge amount of work on his bowling before the India series this summer. That got him back to a place where he probably hadn\u2019t been for a while; he bowled beautifully through that series. I know he pulled up with a niggle at the end (and missed the fifth game at the Oval), but it\u2019s quite exciting to see him back in that sort of position because the makeup of the side with him bowling at his best and playing that all-rounder role is massive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked with Stokesy since he was 15. The schedule is such now that you don\u2019t actually get much time, if any at all, to do technical work on your bowling action. With Ben a lot of the stuff I\u2019m looking at is around his straight lines and the positions he gets his body into; how he approaches his angles on the crease. He sometimes dips in a little bit too far towards the stumps and comes around himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we worked through that, getting him to release his action a little bit more which allows him to bowl with more pace and allows him to get right behind the ball with his wrist.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ben Stokes bowling in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford (Andy Kearns\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Ben\u2019s at his best and he\u2019s bowling at his top speed, he has a fully braced front leg. He comes in straight and lands with a stronger back leg; he\u2019s then able to drive through the crease, stretch out and get that zip. The body has to be robust enough to hold these positions so, as well as the technical side, it takes a huge amount of strength and conditioning work too. Ben is hugely committed. He has a real focus and appetite for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing him bowling above 90mph consistently and able to hold that across spells, days and Test matches was brilliant. Yes, he got a niggle at the end but the schedule was so crammed. If you look at the Ashes schedule, there\u2019s a lot more breathing room between matches which is crucial for bowlers\u2026 on both sides.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe word that I use to describe Ben Stokes is \u2018relentless\u2019. He just keeps coming. His physicality allows him to keep bowling \u2014 sometimes too much, but you\u2019re never going to knock him for that. He\u2019s trying to win games of cricket for his country. He just wants to make things happen. I can\u2019t wait to see what he can produce in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Wood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 35
Style:<\/strong> Right arm fast
Test record:<\/strong> 37 matches, 119 wickets at an average of 30.42<\/p>\n

Killeen on Wood:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019ve known Woody since he was a kid. He\u2019s had some fantastic highs and, obviously, some lows with injury (Wood underwent knee surgery in March and has missed the entire English summer). When Mark is fit and firing he\u2019s England\u2019s quickest bowler, maybe ever. Fingers crossed he will be available for that first Test in Perth because Woody is pure pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can hold that top end of pace too, which not many can do. He also gets lateral movement with the ball. He can swing the ball and has good variation. He uses his wobble seam well and has a good, fast bumper. He\u2019s worked really hard at combining being really fast but with skill, too.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

England\u2019s Mark Wood has tasted success against Australia (Daniel Leal\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Woody\u2019s pumped, he just keeps coming at you and he attacks the stumps. His enthusiasm for bowling is a huge strength. He just loves bowling fast, and his resilience in coming back time and again is a massive attribute. There\u2019s a steely core behind that beaming smile. As with Stokes, if you can move the ball at 90mph it is just ridiculously hard to face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWoody\u2019s had success against Australia, home and away, and he\u2019s doing everything he can to play a big part in this winter\u2019s Ashes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jofra Archer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 30
Style:<\/strong> Right arm fast
Test record:<\/strong> 15 matches, 51 wickets at an average of 30.62<\/p>\n

Killeen on Archer:<\/strong> \u201cHe\u2019s got pace, he\u2019s got skill, he\u2019s got bounce, and he\u2019s got real intelligence. He reads the game incredibly well. He\u2019s a deep thinker, he really understands situations and how he\u2019s going to get batsmen out. He creates angles, gets very close to the stumps and he\u2019s very accurate.<\/p>\n

\u201cJof\u2019s worked so hard to get back into Test cricket<\/a>. It\u2019s been a long road and we had to trust the science and medicine, but he went really well in the summer which was really gratifying. He\u2019s not back to the finished article yet either, which is hugely exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe often puts the hard yards in by himself, away from Sussex and England. He\u2019s been so committed and has always been fuelled by that desire to get back playing Test cricket for England. A first away Ashes tour for him is a mouthwatering prospect.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jofra Archer returned from a four-year absence against India this summer (Stu Forster\/Getty Images)Josh Tongue<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 27
Style: <\/strong>Right arm fast
Test record: <\/strong>Six matches, 31 wickets at an average of 30<\/p>\n

Killeen on Tongue:<\/strong> \u201cJosh has a real knack for taking wickets and breaking partnerships. We\u2019ve seen he\u2019s also been fantastic at blowing away the tail, which is a massive skill too have in your locker.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a slightly different release point, from slightly past the vertical, which just creates an angle and makes it difficult for batters to make their decisions. It always looks as if it\u2019s angling into you, but then he\u2019s very good at taking the ball away, sometimes very late.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe bowls at very good pace and can get into the 90s (mph) on the speed gun. We\u2019ve had a long journey with Josh to get him back on the park and I\u2019ve had a lot of sleepless nights wondering whether or not it was going to happen. All credit to him for the work he\u2019s put in and also the teams around him at England and Nottinghamshire.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a strapping lad, a big unit, and he can get on these hot streaks of taking wickets in clusters; if he gets one he does tend to pick up two or three quickly which is a great attribute to have. He can play that enforcing role on flatter pitches but he is also a skilled performer and is dangerous when he gets it up there and moves it about late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Josh Tongue\u2019s release point makes him an awkward bowler to face (Alex Davidson\/Getty Images)Gus Atkinson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 27
Style:<\/strong> Right arm fast-medium
Test record:<\/strong> 13 matches, 63 wickets at an average of 22.01<\/p>\n

Killeen on Atkinson:<\/strong> \u201cHe tore it up last year in his first taste of Test cricket. He\u2019s tall, he gets bounce and he\u2019s a little bit different from an action point of view. He\u2019s a really exciting bowler, we\u2019ve been working with him lots recently as he comes back from a hamstring injury, but he\u2019s getting some games under his belt now at the end of the summer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he gets that rhythm there\u2019s a smoothness to his action and he can work up to a really decent pace. We\u2019ll get some work into him before the plane takes off, building up his strength and conditioning. He\u2019s hungry to perform well and build on the success he had last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Gus Atkinson has made an eye-catching start to Test cricket (Stu Forster\/Getty Images)Brydon Carse<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 30
Style:<\/strong> Right arm fast-medium
Test record:<\/strong> Nine matches, 36 wickets at an average of 30.11<\/p>\n

Killeen on Carse:<\/strong> \u201cBrydon is a bit taller than the rest of the attack so he creates that different release point. He hits a pitch hard and gets steepling bounce. He bowls at a really good pace as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been working him moving the ball because, although he does swing it, at the moment he\u2019s probably not doing so as much as some of the other guys in the attack. But he\u2019s building on those skills all the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is extremely good at coming back with the old ball and making things happen. He\u2019s got a knack of taking wickets and he breaks partnerships, finding wickets when it looks like they aren\u2019t going to come. He has that relentlessness, too. He\u2019ll run in all day for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Brydon Carse hits the pitch hard and generates steepling bounce (Stu Forster\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Those six bowlers are expected to travel to Australia, if fit, and there are other contenders who will hope for a call up from Stokes and McCullum. Killeen casts his eyes over the best of the rest:<\/p>\n

Chris Woakes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 36
Style:<\/strong> Right arm medium
Test record:<\/strong> 62 matches, 192 wickets at an average of 29.61<\/p>\n

The experienced spearhead of England\u2019s home attack in the wake of the retirements of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Woakes was player of the series against Australia during the home series of 2023 after taking 19 wickets in the last three Tests. A shoulder injury suffered whilst fielding on the Oval outfield during the final Test against India in August sees him in a fight for fitness for the Ashes.<\/p>\n

Australia hasn\u2019t been a happy hunting ground for him, his 16 wickets in seven Tests at an average of 51.68 a stark contrast to his home record. He has even gone on record to say<\/a> he is not \u201cat peace with the Kookaburra ball\u201d that they use Down Under. \u201cIt just does not suit me! I\u2019ve tried all sorts over the years and it hasn\u2019t really happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Killeen on Woakes:<\/strong> \u201cI think we\u2019re just going to watch this space with Woakesy and kind of see where he is at. He\u2019s such a wholehearted cricketer and, when he\u2019s on song, he\u2019s obviously a class performer.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe moves the ball and he\u2019s relentlessly accurate. He\u2019s not got the pace that he once had, but you know he\u2019s still there and thereabouts and quick enough when the ball is moving. He can get on hot-streaks too and nip out wickets in clusters.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Chris Woakes may not recover from a shoulder injury to feature this winter (Alex Davidson\/Getty Images)Matthew Potts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 26
Style:<\/strong> Right arm medium
Test record:<\/strong> 10 matches, 36 wickets at an average of 29.44<\/p>\n

Killeen on Potts:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019ve known Pottsy since he was a little nipper at Durham. He just keeps coming at you all day long; he\u2019s very accurate and bowls those heavy lengths, six to eight metres from the bat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s aggressive and he\u2019ll sit on that length which can be relentless for batters to face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Matthew Potts has fallen down the England pecking order this summer (Andy Kearns\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

And the Ashes bolter? The quick bowler who might just force his way into the reckoning for the tour as a wildcard?<\/p>\n

Sonny Baker<\/strong><\/p>\n

Age:<\/strong> 22
Style:<\/strong> Right arm fast
First-class record:<\/strong> Seven matches (no Tests), 22 wickets at an average of 33.90<\/p>\n

A pint sized but bustling young seamer with a penchant for a hooping in-swinger, Baker was included in the England Lions squad to tour Australia at the start of the year and impressed enough to earn an England development contract. His first taste of international cricket was a chastening experience, chalking up the worst bowling figures for an England ODI debutant with 0-76 off seven overs against South Africa at Headingley.<\/p>\n

But Baker has a voracious appetite for learning his craft and is a prolific note-taker. \u201cI write all sorts of stuff down,\u201d he told The Guardian earlier this year<\/a>. \u201cGround dimensions, ways to grip different balls, action stuff. Analysis on batters \u2014 I love my analysis on batters, love having a detailed plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sonny Baker will learn from the trauma of his England white-ball debut (Philip Brown\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Killeen on Baker:<\/strong> \u201cSonny\u2019s a great character, I love working with him. He\u2019s so intrigued by life. He\u2019ll take the learnings from his white ball debut and use it to get better. That\u2019s the sort of lad he is.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is a very exciting prospect and can move the ball both ways, both in the air and off the pitch. He attacks the stumps and he makes it really uncomfortable for batters because they have to play an awful lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

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