England lay down gauntlet after naming five 90mph seamers in Ashes squad
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Wood, Archer, Atkinson, Carse and Tongue lead attack
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Will Jacks gets nod over Rehan Ahmed as reserve spinner
Already the quickest scoring team in Test cricket, England will hit Australia with their fastest bowling attack in a generation – perhaps all time – after announcing their 16-man squad for the Ashes this winter.
A late curveball from Rob Key’s panel is the inclusion of Surrey’s Will Jacks, offering an attacking option with the bat and serving as the reserve spinner to Shoaib Bashir. Otherwise the squad is largely as expected, including confirmation that Harry Brook, not Ollie Pope, will be vice‑captain to Ben Stokes when the first Test begins in Perth on 21 November.