England’s Ashes tour has claimed another victim. Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the fifth and final Test in Sydney with a left hamstring injury, leaving Ben Stokes staring at an attack that now looks nothing like the pace-heavy group he arrived in Australia with six weeks ago.
Atkinson picked up the injury on the second morning of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG while delivering the final ball of his fifth over. He immediately grabbed his hamstring, walked straight off the field and never returned. Scans later confirmed the damage, officially ending his tour. That makes him the third English fast bowler to break down in this series, following Mark Wood’s knee injury in Perth and Jofra Archer’s side strain after Adelaide.
England’s injury list deepens
Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Wood and Archer all arrived believing raw pace could rattle Australia. Wood lasted one Test. Archer found his best rhythm of the series in Adelaide before his body shut him down. Atkinson, the attack leader on paper, now departs as well. Brydon Carse is suddenly the last express option standing. The fact that Carse is going to play all five matches is incredible. Although he has been ordinary at times, he was great in the famous England win in the Boxing Day Test.
Atkinson’s personal tour never really caught fire. He went wicketless in Perth, was worked over in Brisbane with 3 for 151, dropped for the must-win Adelaide Test, and then recalled at the MCG when Archer broke down. On a spicy Melbourne surface he finally looked sharp again, collecting three wickets and helping England secure their first Ashes Test win in Australia since 2011. He leaves with six wickets at 47.33, the first time he has averaged above 28 in any series since his Test debut in 2024.
England have chosen not to fly in a replacement for Sydney. Matthew Potts is expected to step into the XI, likely partnering Carse with the new ball after Josh Tongue’s outstanding Melbourne performance. Ben Stokes and Will Jacks will again shoulder heavy workloads, while Shoaib Bashir remains an outside spin option if the SCG pitch flattens out.
England squad for 5th Ashes Test
Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue
