Ben Stokes orders ‘fast, flat’ pitches for Ashes and knows England’s starting XI

Ben Stokes has ordered “flat, fast” pitches for the Ashes series this summer and, as England continue to monitor the fitness of Jofra Archer after another absence, the Test captain claims to already have a starting XI in mind.

On Sky Sports during their Indian Premier League coverage Stokes said his side would continue their aggressive, results-driven approach against Australia and outlined his hope of having 90mph pace in his attack.

Along with Mark Wood and Olly Stone, and after an eye-catching Ashes in 2019, Archer will be key. But concerns are growing. The 28-year-old has had some discomfort in the right elbow that led him to miss 18 months of cricket with a stress fracture and on Tuesday he sat out a second IPL match in a row for Mumbai Indians.

There has been no official word on the severity of the problem with England privately hopeful it is a minor setback and they are in communication with the franchise. Stokes, who hinted before this latest absence that Archer could return from the IPL early to get fit for multi-day cricket, has the fast bowler in his plans.

“I think I know what the starting XI is going to be, there or thereabouts,” he said. “Having the option to bowl above 90mph, any captain wants that. [But] when it comes to that first Test I will be making sure I pick the best team for that first game.

“We’ve been clear with the ground staff what type of wickets we want and they have been responsive. We want flat, fast wickets. We want to score quickly. If that brings [Australia’s] guys in, they will be happy. I’m smiling, because I’m looking forward to it.”

There are nine weeks and a four-day Test against Ireland to go before the Ashes starts at Edgbaston on 16 June and another player eyeing a return is