Time to unleash Carse on the Australians

RYAN Sidebottom has urged Ben Stokes to back his Durham pal Brydon Carse for the first Ashes Test match after a fitness scare to their county teammate Mark Wood.

- By ROSS GREGORY

Mark Wood with his England team-mates in Perth yesterday

England can still go “all guns blazing” in Perth despite fitness concerns surrounding Wood, who suffered a hamstring scare early in the three-day warm-up match against the England Lions.

With the Ashes starting on Friday, Wood's readiness was called into question after he needed a precautionary hamstring scan following a spell of bowling at Lilac Hill.

Results came back clear and he is expected to start the series, but speaking exclusively via BOYLE Sports ahead of the first Test, Sidebottom said that while Wood and Jofra Archer offer raw pace, England may need to lean on the emerging quality of Durham’s Carse, who he believes could be the key weapon in Australia.

"You look at everyone who's been talking about Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. Well, they've hardly played much cricket,” Sidebottom said.