ashes

If England are building to the Ashes, it is worth remembering their only series win in Australia in the past 30-plus years was built on a stack of runs.

Not everything is about the Ashes but, for this area of the team, that plane journey to Perth in November next year is paramount.

It is true that Ashes series can make or break the careers of English cricketers, but Test matches are played all over the world and in all sorts of conditions.

He is viewed as a player who could perform well in Australia, where England travel for the next Ashes series in the winter of 2025-26.

Carse looks a real find, potentially a huge asset for an Ashes in Australia.