Steve Harmison on why England were right to move on from Jimmy Anderson – but only if they avoid key mistake of past Ashes tours

Steve Harmison believes England’s growing group of fast bowlers can stun Australia next winter – but has warned they must be ‘peak ready’ if they are to emulate his legendary 2005 strike and regain the Ashes.

Harmison was part of a quartet of quicks – with Matthew Hoggard, Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones – who took 75 wickets as England defeated Australia 2-1 in arguably the greatest series of all time.

And he says Ben Stokes will need an even bigger squad if he is to become only the second England captain to triumph down under since Mike Gatting in 1986-87.

Brydon Carse has been a revelation in his first four Tests, taking 25 wickets – more than Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad have ever done in a single winter. Gus Atkinson has now made 48 out of 22 in his first year at the top level, and England are hopeful that both Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will be fully fit.

Add in Josh Tongue, Olly Stone, Matthew Potts and even Chris Woakes – who Harmison believes can play a key role in the pink-ball Test in Brisbane – and the squad for the Ashes opener in Perth on November 21 looks difficult.

“It’s a tough one, but if they’re all fit, Carse will be stuck,” Harmison told Mail Sport. ‘Archer is close, meaning Wood and Atkinson will probably be fighting for one spot. If I’m Ben Stokes and I go to Australia with those options, I can see us winning here.’

Brydon Carse has been a revelation for the side, taking 25 wickets in his first four Tests

Jimmy Anderson’s retirement was the right call as England need a strong pack of fast bowlers with pace, bounce and Test experience

But Harmison, who rose to the top of the world rankings during a 63-Test career that yielded 226 wickets, says the Bazballers must learn from past mistakes if they are to triumph in Australia.

“There’s just excitement when England show up, and that’s the biggest problem we’ve had in Australia many times,” he says. ‘In my first Ashes series in 2002-03 we seemed to take everyone who had ever bowled first-class cricket, and then they all got injured.

‘In 2006-07 we were nowhere near having an attack good enough to take 20 wickets against that great Australian team. And in 2013-2014 we sent a basketball team. They were never fit.’

That reference is to the giant trio of Chris Tremlett, Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin, who played two Tests together when England were blown away by Mitchell Johnson. Gallows humor has often been the only option.

“When we get to Australia, we need to have six, seven, eight fast bowlers who can perform at a good level at any time. They need pace, resilience and some Test match experience. And that’s why I think Anderson’s retirement, as difficult as it is for Jimmy, was probably the right thing to do.

‘He and Stuart Broad were champions. They were always fit and set the standard. But now that the two big ones are gone, we see that there are options. You almost play against more strike bowlers in one game than we have in 20 years.

‘There are almost ten bowlers who pose a challenge. And I’m really intrigued to see what England do with Harry Moor in Derbyshire. He’s only 17, but he’s someone I think will play Test cricket. He has a great chance of being accelerated.”

England last won the Ashes 3-2 in 2015 after taking an unassailable lead in the fourth Test

England need their stars to be fit if they are to win Down Under for only the second time since 1986-87

Steve Harmison was part of the England teams that regained the Ashes in 2005 and 2009

If England are as ready as they were in 2005, they can do something special in Australia

Harmison, now 46 and in New Zealand to commentate on England’s victorious Test series for talkSPORT, is particularly impressed with Carse, the South African-born quick who ended up in Harmison’s home county of Durham.

“I’ve known for four or five years what Brydon Carse can do,” he says. “He gives you a ridiculous pace through the air – the same as Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar.

“You’ve got the highs and lows of Atkinson, and Archer and Wood can both play in three or four. England have covered a lot of bases with flat wickets, especially with this other double-lacquered Kookaburra ball, which makes it a lot easier to bowl in the southern hemisphere.”

If everyone stays fit, can the tourists of 2025-26 match the class of ’05? ‘Yes, if they win the Ashes away from home. If they are peak ready in ten months’ time, as we were in 2005, England can go to Australia and do something special.’