England ponder pace barrage for first Ashes Test in Perth

England captain Ben Stokes has admitted he is considering including pace duo Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in his side's XI for the opening Test of the eagerly-awaited Ashes series against Australia in Perth.

The European side have arrived in Australia with a full book of health to choose from and with a strong pace attack that includes Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Archer and Wood that will all be given the chance to shine during the sole warm-up fixture against England Lions that commences on Thursday.

Squeezing them all into the line-up for the first Test at Perth Stadium is impossible, but using Archer and Wood in tandem while they reach speeds in excess of 150 km/h is a prospect that has Stokes pondering the best way to use his wealth of quality quicks ahead of the five-match ICC World Test Championship series.

"It's great to have the X-factor that Joff and Woody possess in terms of pace," Stokes said in Perth on Wednesday.

"Woody's obviously got over his knee surgery that he had quite a while ago. He's overcome that and he's looking really, really good.

"Joff has been out in the park for two and a half years now so it's great seeing those two flying in and getting some fast balls down there.

"Whether or not they get through (picked for) the first Test series probably remains to be seen."

Pressed on whether he would use Archer and Wood in the same side in Perth, Stokes remain tight-lipped.

"It would be exciting, wouldn't it?," Stokes said with a smile.

"It's nine days until that first Test starts, so there's a lot of time for stuff to form into place or for something to happen.

"But, at the moment, from a fast bowling point of view, the guys that we've picked are all in really, really good shape."

And while the potential to use an all-out pace attack excites Stokes somewhat, the England skipper admitted his bowlers will still need to bowl in the right areas if they are to trouble Australia's strong batting line-up.

"I think both sides have got very strong bowling attacks and it's not all just about pace," Stokes added.

"It's very nice knowing that you've got a bowling attack and they're all bowling 85 miles an hour and a couple of guys who can get into the low to mid-90s as well.

"But it's not just all about pace, it's about skill.

"We're fortunate enough that we've got a battery of fast bowlers who not only bowl at good pace, but are also extremely skillful in any condition.

"You can have pace, but if you've sprayed it everywhere, that's not too much use.

"We're thankful and we feel that we've picked a really, really good, strong bowling group that have complementary skills, that can support each other.

"It's going to be a tough five games, so it's nice having a good battery of fast bowlers to choose from."

Stokes has been out of action since late July with a shoulder injury. He last featured in the home series against India but missed the final Test.

When asked about his fitness, the England skipper provided a positive update on his availability.

“Really good. Obviously disappointed to miss out that last game but a pretty iconic series against India. That’s long behind me now and I’ve been training flat and out for the last.. six, seven weeks so everything’s feeling really good and set up really nicely for that first Test.”

England haven’t won an Ashes Test away from home since the 2010-11 edition, losing their last three tours to Australia without a single win. Stokes said the goal this time is to return home as winners and urged his players to embrace the expectations that come with it.

“Everyone is out here to go home with that goal (to win the Ashes),” he said.

“We know what we’ve been building up towards and this has been a long time coming. It’s always been floating around in the background for a couple of years now.”

“Players and fans all know how big this series is to England and Australia. We’ve got the goal set. We are here to win and we will be doing absolutely everything possible to be able to do that. That’s not something to be afraid of, the expectations on our shoulders, that’s something to embrace and not shy away from.”

England's squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood

Series schedule:

First Test: Perth Stadium, November 21-25
Second Test: The Gabba, December 4-8
Third Test: Adelaide Oval, December 17-21
Fourth Test: MCG, December 26-30
Fifth Test: SCG, January 4-8