England captain Ben Stokes admits he has the taste for pace as he prepares to unleash Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson on the West Indies.
James Anderson and Stuart Broad’s mastery of swing and seam have defined England’s bowling arsenal for years but, with both now in retirement, Stokes is ready to crank up the speed gun.
Atkinson goes into Thursday’s second Test at Trent Bridge on a high after taking 12 wickets on debut in Anderson’s farewell appearance last week and hurried the tourists as he nudged up to 90mph.
Wood has even more fire at his fingertips, having frequently topped 95mph, and he has been thrown straight back into the side after a short break following the T20 World Cup.
“It was very exciting, the prospect of seeing Gus Atkinson bowl at one end and Mark Wood at the other,” Stokes said on the eve of the match.
“Look at the way Gus bowled last week, it’s not only the 12 wickets, it’s finding another bowler who can bowl between 87-90mph. Woody is someone who had an unbelievable summer last year in the Ashes.
“He was a massive player for us with a huge impact and everyone knows why – because of his pace.
“Ask any batter in the world, whether it be Joe Root, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne… pace is a massive weapon that makes you do different things. It makes you think differently. But also there has got to be skill attached to your pace.
“Gus showed that last week, that he’s more than just an out-and-out quick bowler, he’s incredibly skilful. As is Mark Wood. To have the control and swing he has is something that’s very rare in someone who bowls that fast.”
England have made it clear they are retooling their team with the 2025-26 Ashes series in mind, a tour where genuinely quick bowlers are close to a necessity.
By then they hope to have Jofra Archer back on Test match duty, having carefully managed his most recent return to fitness following a lengthy lay-off.
Archer made a promising comeback to international cricket during last month’s T20 World Cup, bowling both rapidly and intelligently, but Stokes will resist the urge to ask too much, too soon.
England have already ruled him out of any five-day cricket this summer and will err on the side of caution when they do decide to bring him back.
“I know that Jofra is desperate to get back in a Test shirt for England. He’s very passionate about playing for England but he’s been through a very, very tough few years,” Stokes said.
“Watching him to play in the World Cup was obviously great. It looked like all those injury worries and troubles that he had gone through for such a long period of time were behind him.
“For us, it’s about not getting too giddy with it. If we don’t see him until next summer, for example, (it’s) because we’re just making sure. if we don’t have him for a year, let’s say, but it prolongs his career for another two, three years, that’s what we are looking at trying to do.
“I’m very close with him. For me, as a huge Jofra Archer fan, it’s just been great seeing him back in an England shirt.”
In the meantime, Stokes will continue to rely on Chris Woakes, who effectively takes the baton from Anderson and Broad as a more traditional English seamer.
Woakes will take the new ball in Nottingham on his 50th cap and has a new role to play as the senior head in the attack.
“I see it as an opportunity for someone like Woakesy to take on more of a leadership role in the bowling unit,” Stokes said.
“We’ve been so used to Jimmy and Broady doing that, so it’s a great opportunity for him. He’s a very experienced player and a phenomenal performer, particularly in England.
“It’s great for him to be able to lead the attack and 50 caps is a huge honour.”