England interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has said comparisons can be made between his current pace attack and the famous Ashes-winning quartet of 2005, according to BBC and Lokmat Times reports.
Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue have come together for England in the aftermath of Ben Stokes' retirement and bowled the home side to a series win over Pakistan. The complementary skills of the new foursome have similarities to the legendary seamers of 21 years ago: Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones and Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff.
Trescothick, who played as an opening batter in the epic 2005 series win, acknowledged the similarities after England's recent performances. "We do have some real skill, and you look back to 2005 and the sort of comparisons of Harmy, Fred, Simon and Hoggy, you could easily make those sort of comparisons," he said, as quoted by BBC.
"I'm enjoying the fact we've got four who are match fit at the moment and we've a few [other bowlers] behind it that we're starting to get ready," he added, according to Lokmat Times, which also reported him saying: "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."
Trescothick has presided over a halt to England's previous poor run of only two wins in 10 Tests. Successive victories over Pakistan have given the hosts their first series win since 2024, and they hold a 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with the third Test at Edgbaston beginning on 9 September. Trescothick said he wants to win the series 3-0 and play the most consistent team possible, and insisted England will not rotate players.
The wretched run of form came at what turned out to be the end of Stokes' reign as captain. The all-rounder's retirement not only ushered in Joe Root's second spell as skipper, but also left England looking for a way to balance their XI. The answer, at least for now, has been to choose four frontline seamers and omit a specialist spinner, with Dan Lawrence offering some part-time off-breaks if required.
And, whereas the England era under Stokes and former head coach Brendon McCullum often put a premium on bowlers with high pace, Robinson's recall after more than two years out of Test cricket looks to have resulted in a more rounded unit. Archer, Tongue and Atkinson are all capable of high speed, while Robinson often operates below 80mph.
In the squad for the first Test at Lord's, there were seven pace bowlers, according to BBC. Brydon Carse was originally included but removed following an incident outside a nightclub in Derby, and is not expected to be considered for England again until the conclusion of investigations by the police and the Cricket Regulator. England's back-up seamers are Sam Cook, Sonny Baker and Matthew Fisher, who have only four Test caps between them.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan wrote in the Telegraph that the current attack can only be compared to his 2005 bowlers when they win a major series, and added they are capable of doing something really special and winning back the Ashes for England next summer.
England face an extensive Test schedule over the next year, including tours of South Africa and Bangladesh, before hosting Australia for the Ashes. Trescothick, who will be replaced as head coach by Stephen Fleming in the winter, said: "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," he added, according to Lokmat Times.