As Australia’s openers threatened to wrap up this frenzied series with one final twist, England’s mind was already drifting to life without Stuart Broad.
Indeed, for much of the fourth day as David Warner and Usman Khawaja made carefree progress to 135 with no loss in the chase of an imposing 384, it was easy to forget that Broad’s retirement had not yet begun when he made his announcement the night before. .
But Broad was still there, bowling decently enough in the six overs Ben Stokes allowed him, even if he didn’t add Warner for the 18th and final time.
Ten modest overs by Jimmy Anderson on his 41st birthday, however, did little to dispel the nagging thought that the wrong half of England’s veteran new-ball partnership had called it quits.
Meanwhile, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, both fantastic since joining this series for the third Test at Headingley, 34 and 33, although Woakes’ overseas record means he is in any case ineligible for the 2025-26 Ashes. Why Wood wasn’t used until the 33rd may be another story for another day.
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue could lead England’s attack into the next Ashes
Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have made an impression, but are 34 and 33 years old respectively
But this run ends – with England chasing 10 wickets to make it 2-2, and Australia a further 249 runs to make it 3-1 – director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes will all have one have an eye on putting together an attack that can win in Australia in three winters.
If all this sounds a bit ascentric, cricket makes sense too. England’s next series will begin in late January in India, where a spin-heavy attack including Jack Leach and perhaps Rehan Ahmed will bear little relation to the line-up for Brisbane’s Gabba.
Next summer, the West Indies and Sri Lanka will be the test tourists, offering the selectors the perfect opportunity to plan for the future. So by the time India returns to this country for five Tests in 2025, England’s fast bowling ducks will need to line up very well.
Anderson won’t be on the next plane to Australia and it will be a bonus if Wood makes the trip. As for Jofra Archer, England fans can only dream. Olly Stone, poor chap, is injured more often than not.
More realistically, the attack could be led by Ollie Robinson, assuming he can fix the fitness issues that returned this summer, and Josh Tongue, who has been unlucky enough to play just one Ashes Test after a debut of five against Ireland . At Lord’s, he removed Warner and Steve Smith twice each and threw Khawaja.
Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach could play key roles in England’s next series in India
Some of England’s most famous wins in Australia are based on real fast bowling – Harold Larwood in the 1932-33 Bodyline series, Frank Tyson in 1954-55, John Snow in 1970-71.
Tong can also hit 150 km/h, so the job of management will be to make sure that the provincial grind does not turn him into an 85 km/h sailor.
Matthew Potts is pushing for a permanent place despite just one Test appearance this summer, against Ireland. England are also eyeing their Durham team-mate Brydon Carse, who has already played nine one-day internationals and spoke at the ODI series in the Netherlands last summer about his hopes of becoming an enforcer in the vein of Liam Plunkett.
Surrey’s Jamie Overton, whose test debut against New Zealand at Headingley last summer was most notable for a match-turning innings of 97, is also in the mix, having beaten his twin brother Craig.
Then there are the fast bowlers who have yet to break into the inner sanctum. Two in particular in Surrey have attracted attention: Gus Atkinson and Tom Lawes.
Matthew Potts is pushing for a permanent place despite just one test appearance this summer
Atkinson, 25, has 45 first-class wickets at age 26. And having added some pace in recent years, he’s generated whispered comparisons to Archer.
“A lot of people have said that to me,” he recently told ESPNCricinfo. “A lot, actually.”
He has been open about his international ambitions and England is keeping a finger on the pulse. Lawes, 21, has 48 wickets at 21, with a best of five for 22 against Kent at the Oval in May when his victims included Zak Crawley, Ben Compton and Sam Billings.
As with Tongue, who will move from Worcestershire to Nottinghamshire at the end of the season, the challenge will be to protect Atkinson and Lawes from the moderating effects of domestic play, where over the course of a long season bowlers learn to manage instead of then come hell for leather for a strange game here and there.
That has long been why England’s record in Australia is less good than Australia’s in England. Sunday’s showing at the Oval was a reminder that it’s never too late for long-term planning.