Rolling back the clock two years, England were competing in the 2023 Ashes with a stable of fast bowlers that included James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, sharing over 400 Test caps and 1,500 wickets between them.
Fast forward to the first test of the 2025 summer against Zimbabwe next month, and Gus Atkinson is set to lead the attack - a man who debuted only last summer and has played a mere 11 Test matches.
A spate of injuries has seen Wood undergo knee surgery that will see him play no part in the English Test summer. Jofra Archer’s last first-class match was in May 2021, and he will need careful handling before being reintroduced to the rigours of Test cricket. Olly Stone has been ruled out for the summer, Bryson Carse is currently missing the IPL through injury and concerns over the fitness of Woakes have gotten louder over the past few days.
England’s quick bowling cupboard is not completely bare, however. Let’s look at their options:
Josh Tongue
A good chance for selection. Tongue was handed his debut by Ben Stokes two years ago off the back of consistent early-season performances for Worcestershire and an ability to nudge the speed gun towards 90mph when in good rhythm. An impressive display against Australia in the Ashes later that summer signalled that he had the potential to be more than just a squad bowler. He has struggled significantly with injury, but a belated Nottinghamshire debut has paid dividends and with two five-wicket-hauls in Division One already this year, Tongue has been one of the leading bowlers of the season thus far.
Matthew Potts
Another bowler from the Stokes school of thought, able to bowl his heart out day after day. Potts has been building a good body of work for England, with 10 Test caps to his name and 36 wickets at 29.44 a piece. A steady start to the year for Durham will have no doubt been seen by Stokes given their proximity as Durham teammates, and with experience severely lacking his relative battle scars may stand him in good stead.
Sam Cook
Arguably the best seamer in county cricket over the past five years, Cook has had to bide his time, toiling away at Essex whilst McCullum and Stokes have pursued quicker bowlers. But it would seem his time has finally come. A strong showing for the England Lions against Australia A in January saw Cook leave the pick of the bowlers, with a standout performance of 4-47 in 26 miserly overs. The ECB requested that Essex rest Cook in their last Division One game against Worcestershire, an indication that the man with 318 first-class wickets at an average of 19.77 will be rewarded soon enough.
Dan Worrall
Dan Worrall’s last international game of cricket came against South Africa in 2016, representing Australia in an ODI. Nine years on, Worrall could quite feasibly be pulling on an England shirt, following an association with Surrey that has produced three Division One titles. Worrall picked up 52 wickets at an average of 16.15 last year and is now eligible to represent England, having served a three-year residency period after effectively retiring from Australia to move to the UK in 2021. An outsider pick but his international pedigree is there for all to see, and a strong start to the year will have done his chances no harm.
Also read: Dan Worrall: ‘I'm at my ceiling - if an England chance comes, I'd take it with open arms'
Josh Hull
The final Test of last summer against Sri Lanka saw Hull given his Test debut under extraordinary circumstances, with a first-class record of 16 wickets at 62.75 to his name. England cited his height and left-arm angle as setting him apart from others in the County Championship. Hull took three wickets in that game but picked up a quad injury that has only recently allowed him to make a return for Leicestershire. Hull is by no means the finished article, but signs were promising last week as he pinned Australia all-round Cameron Green dead in front during a tight Foxes win, though he did prove expensive in the game.
Sonny Baker
Also travelling on the England Lions trip down under was Sonny Baker, a spritely young bowler without a first-class appearance at the time but very much in the Stokes mould, possessing speed and a willingness to hunt for wickets at the expense of economy. Baker, like Cook, has been rested by his county already this year at the request of England, suggesting they may well be looking at him. It would be a brave selection given his lack of experience, but if history is anything to go by this won’t come into Stokes and McCullum’s thinking. Baker is in good form this summer, having taken 5-80 against Surrey at The Oval in his last outing, counting Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence among his victims.
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