Trescothick says England's new pace quartet can be likened to 2005 seamen

Marcus Trescothick said on 31 August 2026 that England's newly assembled seam quartet — Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue — can fairly be compared with the 2005 Ashes pace group after they helped England secure a home series victory over Pakistan. Trescothick is serving as interim head coach for this series before Stephen Fleming takes over in the winter.

Trescothick, who was a member of England's 2005 side that regained the Ashes, cited Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Simon Jones and Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff when making the comparison. The four current pacemen were brought together after Ben Stokes' retirement and have combined in England's recent home series against Pakistan. Successive wins in the series ended a stretch in which England had managed only two victories in 10 Tests and produced the hosts' first series triumph since 2024.

"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," said Trescothick. "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."

Archer, Tongue and Atkinson are all capable of high speed, while Robinson often operates below 80mph with the wicketkeeper standing up. His accuracy and ability to extract movement have seen him take 23 wickets this summer at a remarkable average of 8.3.

Seven pace bowlers were named in the squad for Lord's, with Brydon Carse originally included before his removal following an incident outside a nightclub in Derby. Carse is not expected to be considered for England again until investigations by the police and Cricket Regulator conclude. Sam Cook, Sonny Baker and Matthew Fisher remain the back-up seamers; the trio have four Test caps between them.

England have opted to select four frontline seamers and omit a specialist spinner for the series, with Dan Lawrence available to bowl part-time off-breaks if required. Robinson's recall after more than two years out of Test cricket looks to have resulted in a more rounded unit.

"We've got a good contrast in what we're trying to do at the moment," said former opener Trescothick. "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. "And the more that they play together and the more experience that everyone gets together, then it fits into place to how you want it to be." He added: "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," and said the side would monitor how players recovered during a four- or five-day break.

Writing for the Telegraph, Michael Vaughan said the current attack can only be compared with his 2005 bowlers if they win a major series, and added: "They are certainly capable of doing something really special, and winning back the Ashes for England next summer."

England will aim for a 3-0 clean sweep in the third Test at Edgbaston, beginning on 9 September, and the home side will confirm a squad for the series finale in Birmingham in the coming days.