England’s batsmen have taken a huge hit after repeated collapses led to their fourth consecutive loss in the Ashes series in Australia.
But how did the bowlers get there?
Stuart Broad, England’s second-highest Test wicket-taker in history and part of the team that won 3-1 Down Under in 2010/11, rules over the tourist seamers, looking at whose stock has risen, who may have ended their England career, who can’t accept the new ball at all, whose body language must improve going forward…
Josh Tan “brought himself into a world of goodness”
12 wickets in 2 Tests, 18.58 (best of 5-45)
Broad: “Tan should have played more. He was player of the match in Melbourne, but looking at it now, do you think England certainly missed a trick in not playing him at the Gabba, and maybe at Optus Stadium in the first Test as well?”
“He exposes his whole body, gets Steve Smith out three times in Test cricket and twice in county cricket, and bowls at a slightly different angle: wider than the crease, but able to hit the ball further.
“He needs protection in the sense that he bowls bad balls, so you need players in your bowling attack to protect and keep the area, but Tan has done a world of good for himself on this trip.”
Josh Tan celebrates taking five wickets on opening day of Boxing Day Test at MCG
Gus Atkinson: ‘Needs to improve body language’
6 wickets in 3 Tests, 47.33 points (best of 2-28)
Broad said: “Atkinson has great attributes. He still averages less than 25 with the ball, can wobble the seam and swing, is tall and stable, but his body language is not that of a combative Test match bowler. He had a job to do in that regard.”
“When you’re playing a team that you have to dominate and beat, it doesn’t really matter, but when you’re playing against a top team, it’s not so important. So what he needs to improve is not so much on his attributes or his mental ability to handle pressure, but on letting the team know that he’s leading this group.”
“I read an article about Tiger Woods. He never looked at the floor when he played golf. His eyes were always on the horizon and his body language was very strong.”
“When I was under pressure or struggling, I kept my eyes on the horizon, because then people wouldn’t know if I bowled a good ball or a bad ball. You’re always in the fight and you don’t feel like they’re on top of you.”
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On the Sky Sports Cricket podcast, Stuart Broad said Gus Atkinson needs to work on his body language to compliment his bowling
Brydon Kearse: ‘I’m not a new bowler’
19 wickets in 4 Tests, 25.57 seconds (best of 4-34)
Broad said: “Kearse has given absolutely everything. He’s put his heart and soul into the series and obviously he’s supported by Ben Stokes as a mate and a team-mate. But he can’t keep receiving new balls. I’m sure Travis Head is just having a big laugh.”
“I liked the fact that he adjusted at the MCG and went over the wicket, just like when I saw him in Adelaide he was trying to bowl around the wicket in-swing against left-handers.The margin for error is quite small and your way of exit is minimal.
“Aim at the person lining up off stump and swing the ball so it hits the leg stump. If you don’t swing it, you’ll get cut. If you swing too much, you’ll get clipped.
“He bowled really well on the second day in Melbourne, but before this Test he was the main bowler and had gone down for five runs and one over in three consecutive Tests. If you’re betting on a five-seamer or someone, that’s what you’d expect. Fielders are everywhere, so if you try to go for five runs an over every time, the captain might look foolish.”
Brydon Kearse proved to be an expensive option for Stokes and England during the Ashes
Ben Stokes: ‘England’s best bowler to hit the top of the stumps’
13 wickets 21.69 (best of 5-23)
Mr Broad: Stokes was sometimes reluctant to bowl himself. On the second day in Melbourne, Kearse again had a new ball as Scott Boland started as night watchman. “What’s going on here?”
“I emailed (England director of cricket) Rob Key at 7am to say Stokes had to start. He’s a good bowler who hits the top of the stumps.”
“Maybe Stokes is underestimating himself as a bowler or saying it’s not his job and trusting the players in the team to get the wickets, but I think a lot of people are aware of that.”
‘Good return for Jofra Archer’, but has Mark Wood put on an England shirt?
Jofra Archer: 9 wickets in 3 Tests (best of 5-53) in 27:11 before side strain
Mark Wood: 0 wickets in Test before returning home due to knee injury
Jofra Archer’s return to red-ball cricket has given a new dimension to England’s bowling attack
Broad said: “Archer has done something good for himself on this trip. There was certainly some criticism in Brisbane, but he was great in Adelaide.
“I know he came back with an injury, but he played in three of the five Tests. That’s a pretty good return for a player who hasn’t played much Test cricket.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know if we’ll ever see Wood in an England shirt again. He’s tried everything and now has three years of pain all over his body.”
Will we see Mark Wood in an England shirt again after an injury-plagued Ashes?
Has England opted for a bowling attack in the past?
Broad said: “To be honest, it looks like England have built a bowling attack for the last 18 months to suit the pitches of seven or eight years ago: 90mph, tall, bouncy, hitting the deck.
“In the end, the opening day of the series was one of the best bowling displays from England as they dominated Australia with their ferocious pace on a moving pitch.
“What was difficult to watch was the lack of ability to get to the top of the stumps and it was one of the worst shows of bowling you could ever want to see in your life at The Gabba.
“Australia came close to breaking the record for the most runs scored behind the square offside. A cut ball is the worst ball bowled in Test cricket because it not only misses the line but also lacks length at the same time.”
“Travis Head was very good at cutting the ball and his quality at the top of the order made this number big. But at the end of the day England’s bowling against left-handers was very poor and that was the big problem.”
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Stuart Broad believes removing Rob Key from his role as ECB managing director could cause a “domino effect” that could put Ben Stokes’ position as captain at risk.
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
Australia leads with 3 wins and 1 loss in 5 consecutive games
