England captain Ben Stokes has hinted the tourists may unleash both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in the first Ashes Test in Perth to try to land a stunning first round blow on Australia’s ageing batting order.

Speaking for the first time since his team’s arrival in Australia, Stokes deflected criticism of his team’s preparation from the likes of Sir Ian Botham , and counselled his players not to be “afraid” of the scrutiny that comes with touring Australia.

Due largely to injuries, Archer and Wood have never played a Test match together against Australia, but they have each had Ashes moments that stick in the memory. Archer was fiendishly difficult for Australia to deal with in 2019, while Wood was the outstanding England fast bowler of the past two Ashes series.

While lavish in his p

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