After losing the five-match Ashes Test series already with a 3-0 margin, the visiting England team were dealt a fresh blow to their hopes of bringing some semblance of respectability to the final scoreline of the series. England pace bowler Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the fifth and final Ashes cricket Test in Sydney with a hamstring injury. Atkinson, thus, will join the likes of Mark Wood (knee) and Jofra Archer (side strain) in the injury box.
Atkinson reportedly picked up the niggle during the second morning of the Boxing Day Test, after bowling his fifth over of Australia’s second innings. He was officially ruled-out after scans on Monday confirmed the injury in his left leg. While confirming the injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board noted that England will not call up a replacement for the fifth Test.
The previous Test at Melbourne ended in barely two days with the pacers ruling the roost. Match referee Jeff Crowe termed the pitch was “unsatisfactory”. “The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers,” Crowe said. “With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day, and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was ‘unsatisfactory’ as per the guidelines, and the venue gets one demerit point.”
The MCG pitch was roundly criticized for the quick finish.
Down-in-the-dumps England have called up 27-year-old Matthew Potts to come into the team for the fifth Test which starts from January 4. He will join forces with Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue in the attack. This means that Carse is the only English pacer who is remaining from the original four that took the field in Perth, believing they could tear through a brittle Australian batting lineup with lightning pace, but lost the series inside 11 days.
Atkinson played in the two heavy eight-wicket defeats in the first two Tests in Perth and Adelaide, before being dropped for Josh Tongue for the third Test at Adelaide.
He was recalled for the injured Archer for the Boxing Day test, England’s first win in Australia since 2011, and had a series return of six wickets at 47.33.
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Captain Ben Stokes and spin-bowling allrounder Will Jacks also remain available as bowling options, as is specialist spinner Shoaib Bashir, who is yet to play a match in the series.
(With inputs from AP)
