Some were less shocked than others by the announcement this month of Ben Stokes’s return to England’s one-day side. His Durham teammate Brydon Carse was one. “I had a conversation a couple of months ago and part of me thought I wouldn’t be surprised if Ben came back to play 50-over cricket again,” says Carse as England prepare for two white-ball series against New Zealand.
“If you asked 99% of English cricket fans if they want to see him playing in the World Cup they’re going to say yes.”
Stokes’s decision has dominated headlines since his retirement reversal (“lol”, as the Test captain pithily tweeted when the news was announced). With a World Cup looming, the four one-day internationals between England and New Zealand, which run from 8 to 15 September, are vital tournament preparation for both sides and England’s 15-man squad has been confirmed as the one that will travel to India at the end of the month.
But the squad that will play in the four preceding Twenty20s, which begin on Wednesday at the Riverside in Durham, has a more experimental feel. Carse – who has played nine ODIs for England – received his call-up on Monday; John Turner, a 22-year-old who has been harrying batters for Hampshire and bowled Jonny Bairstow with his ninth delivery in the Hundred, picked up a side strain playing for Trent Rockets and remains uncapped for now. His loss is Carse’s gain.
The fast bowling options for England’s white-ball sides are plentiful, though injury has ruled out Josh Tongue, who has been replaced in the squad by Chris Jordan. While the joy of Stokes’s reappearance has been counterbalanced by the disappointment of Jofra Archer’s continued absence, there are no shortage of prospects who can bowl a 90mph delivery. Archer’s dramatic arrival on the international stage in 2019, along with the continuing and increasingly show-stopping performances of Mark Wood, set a high bar, as Carse has observed.
The 28-year-old made his England debut against Pakistan in 2021. “As sportsmen you see other people do well and if you have any drive or ambition to play at the highest level you’re naturally going to try and copy that and compete with these other players,” he says.
His county colleague Wood has been an especial source of inspiration, although these days Carse is more likely to watch his performances on TV highlights than from long-leg.
“He hasn’t been around as much as you’d like to see him because he’s so busy with England,” says Carse, who rates the spell Wood bowled down the hill at Headingley in the third Ashes Test as the best fast bowling performance he has witnessed this year. “But he’s always willing to pick up the phone and chat about anything. He feeds you with so much confidence.”
Wood was a reassuring voice as Carse recovered from the side injury that kept him out of action in May and June. “He did his side a couple of years ago, so he gave me a few pointers to be wary about.”
Also in the T20 squad is Gus Atkinson, whose whose rise has been more rapid. The promise of a World Cup place has been bestowed on a 25-year-old who has played two professional 50-over matches, honing his skills in franchise cricket in Dubai and Pakistan.
But it is in the Hundred this month that his speed has been seen at its rawest, with Atkinson hitting a high of 95mph and bouncing Jos Buttler in the Oval Invincibles’ match against Manchester Originals. He has averaged 87.2mph in the tournament and his 10 wickets have come at a strike rate of 9.4.
The young Surrey bowler battled injuries at the outset of his career, with stress fractures stymieing his progress in his late teens and early 20s.
“You look at bowlers like Josh and Gus, and they have both had a sustained period now of playing games and getting into a good rhythm,” says Carse.
“For any fast bowler, the more game time you get, the more rhythm you start to feel. I know from personal experience that the more I’m playing, and the fitter I’m getting, the quicker my speeds become.”
The England selector, Luke Wright, has said he is excited by the speed and the potential of the pace bowlers England are able to call on and will be viewing the T20 series against New Zealand as a test of bench strength before England’s title defences in India in October and in next summer’s T20 World Cup.
“It’s common knowledge there’s a few fast bowlers in the system that have put in some really good performances over the past couple of months and that are bowling quite quickly, so competition is high,” says Carse.
“You look at the cricket England have got and they’ll be desperate to get bowlers that can bowl 90mph in these different conditions. It’s a nice place to be in going into the winter and fingers crossed there’s more opportunities that come my way.”
