England’s Ashes campaign has suffered another major blow, with Gus Atkinson ruled out of the fifth and final Test in Sydney due to a left hamstring injury. The latest setback leaves captain Ben Stokes staring at a vastly depleted pace attack, far removed from the speed-heavy arsenal England arrived with in Australia six weeks ago.
Atkinson sustained the injury on the second morning of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG while bowling the final delivery of his fifth over. He clutched his hamstring immediately, walked off the field without assistance, and did not return. Subsequent scans confirmed the extent of the injury, officially bringing his tour to an abrupt end. He becomes the third English fast bowler to break down this series, following Mark Wood’s knee injury in Perth and Jofra Archer’s side strain after the Adelaide Test.
England’s pace plans unravel
England began the Ashes with a clear strategy: overwhelm Australia with raw pace. Instead, that plan has steadily unraveled. Wood managed just one Test, Archer showed flashes of his old menace in Adelaide before injury struck, and Atkinson—viewed as the attack leader—now exits before the series finale. Brydon Carse is suddenly the lone remaining express option, an extraordinary turnaround given he is now set to feature in all five Tests.
While Carse’s performances have been inconsistent, he played a pivotal role in England’s famous Boxing Day Test victory at the MCG. That win briefly reignited England’s Ashes hopes and marked their first Test success in Australia since 2011.
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Atkinson’s personal campaign never fully took off. He went wicketless in Perth, endured a difficult outing in Brisbane with figures of 3 for 151, and was dropped for the must-win Adelaide Test. He returned at Melbourne following Archer’s injury and finally found rhythm on a lively surface, claiming three wickets and contributing to England’s landmark win. He finishes the tour with six wickets at an average of 47.33—his first series averaging above 28 since making his Test debut in 2024.
England have opted against calling up a replacement for the Sydney Test. Matthew Potts is expected to come into the XI, likely sharing the new ball with Carse after Josh Tongue’s impressive performance at the MCG. Ben Stokes and Will Jacks are once again set for heavy workloads, while Shoaib Bashir remains a spin option should conditions at the SCG turn favourable.
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.
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