It is over three months until England play the first Test of their 2024 home summer, by which time the majority of the County Championship will already be over and done with.
There are fewer England places up for grabs compared to in recent years. Like in 2023, there are eight leading contenders for a spots in the top seven and like last year, that decision will likely come down to a choice between Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow for the gloves, though it is possible an outsider like Ollie Robinson or Jamie Smith also forces their way into contention.
Jack Leach’s long-running injury concerns may also open up the possibility of one of the three young spinners who played in India usurping the Somerset left-arm tweaker as England’s No. 1 slow bowler in home conditions, but in general, England have a fairly settled group.
Where there is less clarity is in the fast bowling department. In West Indies and Sri Lanka, England have their lowest key home summer in some time. They finished the 2023 Ashes with a seam attack of Stuart Broad (37 and retired), James Anderson (41), Mark Wood (34) and Chris Woakes (35). The likely return of Ben Stokes as a genuine all-round option – he is missing the IPL and T20 World Cup in order to focus on his fitness – will aid in balancing the XI, but also present considerations when it comes to picking a seam attack. With the next away Ashes fast approaching and with India visiting next summer, the two home series this year present England with an opportunity to mix things up and blood in a new cohort of bowlers for the challenges that lie around the corner.
So with that in mind, who is likely to be involved this Test summer?
Anderson, Wood and Woakes are likely to be involved in some capacity if fit. Woakes’ immediate future is perhaps the hardest to map out. He was England’s Player of the Series against Australia last summer yet was left out of the squad that travelled to India, largely on account of his poor record overseas. At home, though, he is one of England’s most valuable players; how he is used in 2024 will go some way in demonstrating how England view these two home series.
Ollie Robinson, by his own admission, faces “a make or break” summer. His Test record is outstanding – 76 wickets at 23 – and he was recently as high as fourth in the ICC Test bowling rankings. But his stock has fallen somewhat over the past year, as he struggled for rhythm both against Australia at home and in his sole appearance on the recent tour of India. When his pace is around 83mph rather than 76mph, he is lethal. He has three months to rediscover his best form.
Speaking prior to the start of the 2024 season,England’s managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key explicitly stated his desire for faster bowlers. “I don’t care how many wickets you take,” Key told The Telegraph. “I want to know how hard you are running in, how hard you are hitting the pitch and are you able to sustain pace at 85-88mph.”
If England are looking at quicker bowlers, Josh Tongue is almost certain to feature if fit. He impressed in both of his first two Test appearances last summer but has rarely been available for selection since. He is capable of operating around the 90mph mark and is probably the most exciting red-ball prospect of the young seamers handed multi-year deals in the latest batch of central contracts. Gus Atkinson, who sat on the bench across the five-Test tour of India, is another prospect currently on England’s radar.
Though he is not quite in the pace bracket that Key mentioned, Matt Potts is someone who is likely to play this summer. Potts has been prolific for Durham in recent years and was outstanding on England Lions’ tour of India, impressing just as much with his endurance in energy-sapping conditions as much as his skill.
Essex’s Sam Cook is another who does not possess express pace but is so dangerous in county cricket that a first England call-up is surely just around the corner. He was the standout bowler in the country in the opening round of County Championship fixtures, following up a first innings hat-trick with second innings figures of 6-14. Notably, that performance came with the Kookaburra ball that will see use in next winter’s Ashes, rather than the more helpful Dukes ball. Now 26, Cook has 275 career first-class wickets to his name at an average of just 19.48.
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England’s search for someone who bowls closer to 90mph than 80mph could lead them to Potts’ Durham teammate Brydon Carse, who operates a similar speed to Atkinson and has fared reasonably well when handed international opportunities in white-ball cricket. Jamie Overton, who many regard as a potential bolter for England’s T20 World Cup squad, fulfills a similar role and in both cases, each players’ batting capability, as well as their pace, makes them attractive options.
Fitness permitting, Olly Stone will always be a tantalising prospect but he has played just two first-class games since June 2021. Saqib Mahmood is in a similar boat – he has only played a handful of professional matches since his debut Test tour of the Caribbean in 2022.
Looking further afield, Matt Fisher and John Turner both hold development contracts so are clearly on England’s radar in some capacity. Turner in particular hits the pace that Key desires so is the kind of player who could be fast-tracked into the Test set-up.
Elsewhere, by accident or design, Sam Curran has almost become a white-ball specialist these days, playing only once in Surrey’s County Championship winning campaign last year. His left-arm angle and batting talent could still entice England despite his lack of recent first-class action. A more leftfield selection would be that of Leicestershire teenager Josh Hull. Hull is a very tall left-arm seamer who turned heads during his county’s successful One-Day Cup campaign last summer. He has already been namechecked by Key this year as a player England are monitoring and while his first-class record – nine wickets at 63 – hardly leaps off the page, this England regime have previous for picking on attributes and potential over raw numbers.
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