Ben Stokes wrapped up a sixth impressive win of the summer at the Oval and now can't wait to unleash his 'scary' rockstars on the Aussies.
Zak Crawley's 69 not out saw England to a nine wicket win over South Africa in just 5.3 overs on the final morning. With a 2-1 series win and the Basil D'Oliveira trophy tucked under his arm, it was hard not to think about what a similar result could mean next July with the Ashes on the line.
And even though Stokes will have his full focus on Pakistan and New Zealand over the winter, the sting of losing the Ashes 4-0 at the start of this year is still raw, and the new skipper wants to make amends.
"I think when you know you have an Ashes coming up very soon, it's hard not to look at it," said Stokes. "Especially with how the last Ashes trip went. I am excited by the Ashes next summer, especially with the way we are playing and a lot is getting spoken about how we are playing Test cricket.
"I am looking forward to the challenge, and that is a different challenge, because we know how good Australia are, not just with the bat but the ball. We have got to concentrate on Pakistan first and foremost, and then look to plan for Australia."
This summer, New Zealand, India and South Africa were all vanquished in some style by Stokes and his ultra aggressive band of cricketing men. And it was the manner with which they secured the six wins, all chasing, that will stay long in the memory, representing real change in the way that Test cricket is played by this England team.
They did it too with several players unavailable such as Jofra Archer and Mark Wood which makes the promise of next summer even more exciting to look forward to. "It's a great thing to think about," added Stokes.
"Who knows how far we can take this side over the next couple of years. We've got two of our premium fast bowlers who have had big injuries this summer and have missed a lot of cricket.
"So you add Jofra and Woody into the mix being fully fit – it's scary to think where things could go, especially with the ball. And the batters that we’ve got coming through, and everything like that, means it's a very high ceiling for this team that we can explore."
