Trescothick sees shades of 2005 Ashes pace quartet in current England attack

England interim coach Marcus Trescothick has drawn parallels between his current pace attack and the famed 2005 Ashes quartet. He praised the unit’s pace and skill but said England remain focused on completing a 3-0 series win over Pakistan

London: England interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has said he sees similarities between his current pace attack and the famed four-man seam quartet that secured the iconic 2005 Ashes victory over Australia on home soil.

Dominant victories over Pakistan at Headingley and Lord’s have prompted observers to draw parallels between the current lineup and the 2005 attack. Ollie Robinson has stepped into Matthew Hoggard’s swing-bowling role, Jofra Archer provides the express pace of Steve Harmison, while Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson replicate the aggressive middle-overs impact of Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones.

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Trescothick, who played as an opening batter in the epic 2005 series win, acknowledged the similarities after England’s recent performances. “I think we’ve got a good contrast in what we’re trying to do at the moment. What we do have is three guys bowling at 92 miles an hour, which is really nice to have in your armoury, and to have the potency in what you’re trying to do.

“The more that they play together and the more experience that everyone gets together, then it sort of fits into place. We do have some real skill, and you look back to ’05 and the sort of comparisons of Harmy, Fred, Simon and Hoggy. But I’m enjoying the fact that we’ve got four who are match-fit at the moment and we’ve a few behind it that we’re starting to get ready,” he told reporters at the conclusion of the game.

England face an extensive Test schedule over the next year, including tours of South Africa and Bangladesh, before hosting Australia for the Ashes. “I don’t want to get too far ahead on it because there’s a lot of cricket to be played beforehand. But I think we’re building an attack in four people that we’ve had here in this game, and a few guys backing it up, with pace and skill around it.

“And I think combining the two together and the more Test matches they all gain together, the better opportunity we’ve got when you go to more challenging conditions, and away from home in particular.

“So no doubt there’ll be five, six or seven bowlers going to South Africa, and it’ll be the same for next summer when we come back here for the Ashes. And they’ll be in a much better position than what they’ve been for the last couple of years,” added Trescothick.

Despite holding an unassailable 2-0 lead over Pakistan, Trescothick insisted that England will not rotate players merely to experiment ahead of upcoming tours. “Well, first and foremost I want to win the series 3-0, and I think if you’re going to do that, you want to play the most consistent team possible.

“I think we made a big decision throughout the course of this season, with the white-ball series and the white-ball players, to really ram home opportunities when you get the chance, and we want to try and continue that on. It’s not a case of we’re going to go there (Edgbaston) and ease off the gas.

“We want to go there and win the series 3-0, so that is what exactly what I’ll be telling the players this evening, and when we’re prepping for next week, is (to keep) the hunger and desire to keep driving forward, and keep doing well even when you’ve had success,” he concluded.