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.

Pope’s untethering from that leadership role raises the possibility of Jacob Bethell breaking into a batting lineup that has played with freedom over the past three and a half years and rattled along at 4.5 runs per over. A run quicker than Australia during this period, albeit yet to win a major five-Test series, that figure is also a historical outlier among all nations.

But perhaps the greater difference compared to recent Ashes tours is the presence of five seamers capable of hitting 90mph on the speed gun. Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue are all named after featuring in the 2-2 draw with India, with Mark Wood – arguably the quickest in the world – fit again after knee surgery in March.

England have taken fast bowlers to Australia before, of course, a lineage that includes players such as Harold Larwood, Frank Tyson and Fred Trueman, or Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison more recently. Notwithstanding the lack of ball‑tracking before 2006, a quintet of such quicks this time around feels unprecedented, even if much will hinge on their fitness.

Nine-day breaks after both the first and second Tests offer scope for recovery but rotation is also likely. As flagged previously, Matthew Potts has been included as an extra seamer, offering a more robust, fast-medium option. Chris Woakes was not considered for selection after dislocating his shoulder during the fifth Test against India.

Markedly different to the side under Andrew Strauss that last won an away Ashes series in 2010‑11 – more aggressive with the bat, less thrifty with the ball – there is growing optimism that this is England’s best chance since. Though an all-conquering side in recent times, defeat by South Africa in the World Test Championship final this year hinted at Australia’s vulnerability.

Central to England’s chances of seizing on this possibility is the role Stokes can perform. The 34‑year‑old reannounced himself as a genuine Test all-rounder this summer – his best with the ball to date – but still ended it watching from the sidelines with a torn shoulder muscle. As per England’s press release, “he remains on track” for the start of the tour.

While his place in English folklore was secured in 2019 – the World Cup final and the famous Headingley Test – Stokes has unfinished business in Australia. After a promising debut there in 2013-14, he missed the 4-0 defeat in 2017-18 for legal reasons and had only recently returned from a mental health break for the pandemic-blighted defeat in 2021-22.

Key, the team director, is due to explain the rationale behind the final spots on Wednesday, not least Jacks returning for the first time since his debut in Pakistan in 2022. Rehan Ahmed was one option, while Liam Dawson stood in for Bashir during the summer. Both have to settle for spots on the preceding white-ball tour of New Zealand in October.

A more delicate subject will be Pope, who has been vice‑captain for three years and stood in for Stokes on five occasions, winning three matches.

Brendon McCullum, the England head coach, hinted at a switch recently, highlighting Brook’s role as captain of the limited‑over sides and stressing that, even without an official title, every player can still act as a leader.

However, after Pope experienced another frustrating series against India – a century to begin with, an average of 34 overall – the change may also suggest his spot is no longer a given. Bethell has the back-foot game for Australia, impressed in New Zealand last year, and made his maiden century at professional level in the recent ODI series with South Africa.

This may be considered a so‑called “good headache” to have, with the batting lineup otherwise settled and pegged around the all‑time greatness of Joe Root. Beyond how many of the five Tests Archer and Wood can play – this will be the former’s first away Ashes tour – the biggest question mark is arguably the spinner, with Bashir still a work in progress.

The 21-year-old was identified for this tour two years ago, with his height and overspin, plus the footmarks created by Mitchell Starc, and deemed the closest to Nathan Lyon in terms of approach. But from 19 Tests of investment since there have been lurching returns, with Bashir claiming 68 wickets – including four five‑wicket hauls – but at 39 runs apiece.

Even with uncertainty over their top three, Australia will doubtless look to target Bashir and force England’s seamers into bowling more overs. For the first time in a long time, however, those seamers will be coming in fast.