Bryson

Ben Stokes and Mark Wood will be “raring to go” in time for the Ashes, according to England pace bowler Brydon Carse.

Talismanic England skipper Stokes missed the final Test against India in July because of a shoulder injury, while express paceman Wood has not played a Test since August 2024 as a result of elbow and knee problems.

Both are looking to be fit for the first Test in Perth on 21 November, a series opener that Australia captain Pat Cummins has said he is “less likely than likely” to feature in because of a back injury.

Carse, a Durham team-mate of Stokes and Wood, said: “Ben and Woody are going well.

“I’ve been down to Loughborough in the past couple of weeks, had a couple of nights with them. Ben is looking near enough 100% fit and so is Mark. I’ve been bowling with them.

“It’s exciting to see where they have got to after their setbacks during the summer. They will be raring to go come Australia time.”

Pace bowling and the durability of the respective attacks could be a decisive factor in the outcome of a five-Test Ashes series crammed into the space of seven weeks.

With Aussie spearhead Cummins a huge doubt for Perth and possibly beyond, the home side will rely on Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland, all in their mid-30s. Beyond that, their other seamers are inexperienced or untried at Test level.

The group of fast bowlers named by England is set to be their fastest and most hostile to tour Australia in more than 50 years, albeit with some fitness doubts among them.

By the time of the first Test, Wood will not have played any competitive cricket since February. Despite that lack of action, the 35-year-old – probably the fastest bowler in the world – often claims he is at his best when fresh.

All-rounder Stokes, 34, is vital to England’s Ashes hopes, but has a history of pushing himself to breaking point. He has not completed any of England’s past four Test series and in the home summer against India his large bowling workload resulted in the shoulder injury.

Stokes and Wood are also the only pace bowlers in the England squad to have played in a Test down under before, but Carse believes the touring seamers will not suffer for their lack of time in Australian conditions.

“You can look at it two ways,” said Carse, speaking at the Toyota Professional Cricketers’ Association awards.

“Stokesy and Woody have played in Ashes series down in Australia, so they have the experience to fall back on.

“A couple of the other seamers have played in A trips out there. Hopefully that experience will allow them to feel a level of confidence going into the Ashes.”

Making a concerted effort to join team bonding events has seemingly helped get him back on side, with US captain Keegan Bradley also pointing to DeChambeau’s “X-Factor ability” and “fiery” energy as further redeeming qualities.

“This is a tough thing for him, to come into guys that he doesn’t see every day,” said Bradley.

“But he’s done an exceptional job of making the extra effort – flying to Napa, flying to Atlanta – doing things that are really difficult with the schedule he has.

“He’s made every effort possible and been incredible in the team room.”

When the Americans were humbled by the Europeans two years ago, DeChambeau was even further on the periphery than he was at Whistling Straits.

The controversial switch to LIV Golf meant he was not eligible to earn qualification points for the Rome clash.

Then-US captain Zach Johnson did not deem him worthy of a wildcard – nor even a phone call relaying the news.

Harbouring an inescapable feeling of being ruthlessly snubbed, DeChambeau set about getting back on the team for Bethpage.

“It sucked. I wanted to be there,” DeChambeau said on Thursday.

“Seeing the guys lose really put a fire in my stomach. I wanted to make the team this time around.”

The same complications remained, though.

As a LIV golfer, DeChambeau could only earn points during the eight major championships over the two-year qualification process.

Demonstrating his insatiable appetite for the big stage, he earned six top-10 finishes – including victory at the 2024 US Open – to claim one of the half a dozen automatic spots.

However criticism about his suitability for the team environment has continued in the run-up to Bethpage.

Brandel Chamblee, a former American player and prominent commentator, still believes DeChambeau is an individualist and described him as a “captain’s nightmare”

“No doubt he is one hell of a golfer,” Chamblee said on the Golf Channel. “But he’s an odd duck when he’s trying to blend in with the team.”

Bryson DeChambeau, Russell Henley and Harris English have secured the final three automatic qualifying places on the US Ryder Cup team.

They join world number one Scottie Scheffler, US Open champion JJ Spaun and Xander Schauffele on captain Keegan Bradley’s team for next month’s contest against Europe at Bethpage, New York.

The six American qualifiers were confirmed following the conclusion of the last qualifying event, the BMW Championship, which was won by reigning US PGA Championship and Open champion Scheffler.

DeChambeau, who plays on the LIV Golf circuit, qualified thanks to three top-10 finishes in the majors this year.

Bradley will announce his six captain’s picks to complete the 12-man team on 27 August.

There is a chance that Bradley, 39, could pick himself to play after he finished in a tie for 17th at the BMW Championship, to cement 10th place in the US Ryder Cup standings.

Arnold Palmer was the Ryder Cup’s last playing captain, when he led the US team, aged 34, in 1963.

Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa were among those to miss out on automatic qualification for the US team.

Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy and Andrew Novak are the other three Americans in the top-12, but none have appeared at a Ryder Cup before and Bradley may opt for the experience of Patrick Cantlay, who is 15th on the list but has picked up 5½ points in two previous appearances.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre finished second to Scheffler in Maryland despite leading by four shots going into the final day.

But that was enough to see him join Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in qualifying for the European team.

The other three automatic slots are currently filled by Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Shane Lowry with the standings finalised after this week’s British Masters at the Belfry.

Captain Luke Donald will make his picks for the six other places on 1 September.

One player who maybe in contention is former Masters champion Jon Rahm, who was crowned LIV Golf individual champion for the second consecutive year despite not winning an event.

LIV golfers can only qualify through ranking points earned through the four majors and Rahm is currently 23rd in the European rankings.

Europe will be aiming to defend their title when at the event from 26-28 September.