Australia legend forces England to unleash Mark Wood-Jofra Archer combo despite Mitchell Starc’s warning
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Australia legend Brett Lee has urged England to unleash the pace-bowling combination of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in the Ashes opener in Perth, despite a warning from Mitchell Starc, who stated that the Australian conditions are much more challenging to the fitness of the fast bowlers than the English conditions.
The Aussies will be hosting the English side this summer for the 5-match Test series. Ashes series will be played from the 21st of November to the 8th of January 2026. The matches will be played in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.
One of these matches will be a Day/Night game featuring the two teams with the pink ball at the Gabba. The Boxing Day Test will be played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. England have been awaiting an Ashes trophy since 2010-11.
England take their most lethal pace attack to Australia for The Ashes
England have picked a squad comprising their best fast bowlers for The Ashes. They arguably are the quickest bowling cartels in the history of the Ashes for England. The pace attack will not comprise former legends Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson.
English attack will be spearheaded by the two quickest pacers, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. The other three pacers in the side Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse, are also capable of bowling in excess of 145 kmph.
Mark Wood remains the only bowler to have ever played a Test on Australian soil back in 2021-22, while the other bowlers, Atkinson, Tongue, and Carse, made their debut in the past three years. Matthew Potts, on the other hand, has played just 10 Tests since 2022.
It's rock hard, your body feels it a lot more - Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc earlier warned the English pacers that Australian conditions are much more challenging and toiling than the conditions in England.
"It goes unspoken a bit or it's underrated how the firmness of wickets here are completely different to England. Physically, bowling in England is a lot easier," he told AAP.
"You come to Australia and at times it's like bowling on (concrete). It's rock hard, your body feels it a lot more."
If England are going to win this series, they have to play Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. It's as simple as that - Brett Lee
After Starc's warning, there has been a huge argument within the English camp to rotate Wood and Archer throughout the series. Archer and Wood both could trouble the Aussies with their sheer pace.
However, the legendary quick, Brett Lee, has mentioned that England must include both the pacers from the very first Test in Perth.
"If England are going to win this series, they have to play Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. It's as simple as that," Lee said.
"You need them to rip in and try to disturb the Australian top order. Because there is a lot of conjecture over who they will pick at the top of the order. They're different styles of bowler. It's like poetry watching him (Mark Wood) run in."
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Australia National Cricket Team England National Cricket Team Australia vs England The Ashes Mitchell Starc Jofra Archer Mark Wood Brett Lee
