Ashes 'double agent' names one key area England have edge over Australia in

13 March 2023 , 16:26

1049     0

David Saker will turn to the England red ball set-up for the Ashes this summer (Image: Getty Images)

England's 'double agent' David Saker will return for the Ashes series and is confident Brendan McCullum's side have the crucial advantage in the bowling department.

Australian Saker will work as England's fast bowling coach after signing a short-term deal for the red ball summer and the ODI World Cup defence in India starting in October.

The 56-year-old, already working with England's white ball bowlers, has enjoyed huge success in both Ashes camps during his esteemed coaching career and was approached to join McCullum's staff for the series by Test captain Ben Stokes during last year's T20 World Cup.

He was part of the England set-up during winning Ashes campaigns in 2010-11 and 2013, but also helped Australia regain the urn in 2017-18 as he helped Pat Cummins and co. in a three-year stint with the Aussies up until 2019.

And Saker is aware that his new role for the upcoming Ashes will involve providing pivotal "intel" on England's opponents, who he knows better than most.

Ballance set to make Test return for Zimbabwe after Yorkshire racism scandal

The series promises to be one of the most thrilling in recent memory given Australia's status as the number one Test team in the ICC rankings and the resurgence under McCullum that has seen England win 10 of their last 12 Tests.

But Saker believes England, boasting the electric pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood as well as the experience and control of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson, have a stronger bowling attack given they will be playing on home surfaces.

Saker will be back working with Jimmy Anderson for the red ball summer (Getty Images)

"Definitely depth wise it is," Saker told the Telegraph, when asked whether England had the strongest bowling attack he could remember. "You have two guys who can bowl up to 150 and beyond [Archer and Wood] which is unusual in world cricket.

"They have still got unbelievable seam control, with [Chris] Woakes, Jimmy [Anderson], [Stuart] Broad. I have never worked with [Ollie] Robinson but he looks like a hell of a hard work to face in English conditions.

Archer is rebuilding his fitness ahead of the Ashes (Visionhaus)

"To win Ashes you need a good battery of fast bowlers and that is definitely the case with England, but you can say the same about the Australians too. They have a good group of fast bowlers, but playing on your home patch is always an advantage for a bowling group."

England's bid to retain the Ashes over five Tests this summer will be squeezed into just a six-week period, meaning Saker will be tasked with managing the fitness of his fast bowlers, as well as providing invaluable insight on the opposition.

Ben Parsons