He becomes the third England pacer to sustain an injury on the tour.
England pacer Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the 5th Ashes 2025 Test, starting January 4 in Sydney. This is the third major injury concern among England fast bowlers, with Mark Wood and Jofra Archer already out of the rubber.
Atkinson sustained a left hamstring injury during Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. After bowling the last delivery of the 9th over in Australia’s second innings, the lanky pacer held his left hamstring in discomfort and immediately left the field for further assessment.
He didn’t return for the rest of the innings and was later sent for scans, as England completed the job with both bat and ball without his services in the remainder of the game. Fortunately for Atkinson, the injury is not a recurrence of the right hamstring injury he sustained earlier this year, which kept him out of the first four Tests against India at home.
Gus Atkinson was among the least impressive pacers for England in the Ashes 2025, taking six wickets at 47.33 runs apiece in six outings. After two below-par performances in Perth and Brisbane, he was dropped for the must-win game in Adelaide, before an injury to Archer opened the doors for his return for the Boxing Day Test.
With only one game left on the tour, England have decided not to call up a replacement for Gus Atkinson. They already have two unused pacers – Matthew Potts and Matthew Fisher – and Shoaib Bashir, a spinner, in the squad.
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If the track again remains pace-friendly, England can opt for one of Potts or Fisher, but if there are signs of a traditional SCG deck, Bashir can come in as a specialist spinner. Given how treacherous pitches have been throughout the series, the visitors haven’t used a specialist spinner yet, with Will Jacks doing the job in the recent three Tests.
Fisher and Potts were part of the England Lions squad that played multiple practice games before and during the Ashes 2025. In those matches, Potts was more impressive and among the wickets, and he will likely get the nod for the final outing.
Last year, the SCG pitch heavily favoured pacers throughout the game, with 33 of 34 wickets falling to fast bowlers. Given how the pitches have been rolled out in the entire Ashes 2025, the spinners’ role will again be minimal, and England should opt for a fast bowler to cap off the series.
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