Ben Stokes calls for pace revolution post Stuart Broad and James Anderson's era

Captain Ben Stokes made it clear that speed is England’s primary agenda as far as bowling in Test cricket is concerned. The team management tried Gus Atkinson in the opening Test of the series against West Indies and the pacer picked up 12 wickets, impressing everyone, and was also adjudged Player of the Match. After James Anderson’s retirement, Mark Wood was included in the squad, who can also trouble batters with his sheer pace.

That’s the plan for England keeping Ashes 2025 in mind. Post Stuart Broad-Anderson era, Stokes called for a pace revolution and stated that every batter in the world finds difficulty in handling pace if skills are attached to it. The 33-year-old believes that Atkinson and Wood have control over their pace, which can be a deadly combination.

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“You ask any batter in the world, whether it be Joe Root, Steve Smith, or Marnus Labuschagne, the 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 last week, that he's more than just an out-and-out quick bowler, he's incredibly skillful. As is Mark Wood. The ability for him to be able to bowl as quickly as he does but have the control and swing as well is something that's very rare in someone who bowls that fast,” Stokes was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“It's an added bonus having people who you can select who can bowl at 90mph and above, but you still have to be very skillful with what you've got,” he added.

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Not looking to rush Jof back: Stokes

Ace pacer Jofra Archer made his return to professional cricket in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024. However, Stokes isn’t motivated to rush him back into the Test set-up and believes next summer to be the perfect timeline for the 29-year-old to make red-ball comeback.

“It's about not getting too giddy with it. If we don't see him until next summer, for example, 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, or three years, that's what we are looking at trying to do. We're not looking to rush Jof back. For me, as a huge Jofra Archer fan, it's just great seeing him back in an England shirt,” Stokes said.