England suffer fresh pace blow as Gus Atkinson ruled out of Sydney Ashes finale

England have been dealt another setback ahead of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, with fast bowler Gus Atkinson ruled out due to a left hamstring injury.

The 27-year-old pulled up during his fifth over on day two of the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, immediately leaving the field and playing no further part as England sealed a four-wicket win to claim their first overseas Ashes Test victory since 2011. Subsequent scans confirmed the hamstring damage, forcing Atkinson out of the tour and leaving England without their attack leader for the SCG finale.

Atkinson becomes the third England quick to exit the series through injury, following Jofra Archer (side strain) and Mark Wood (knee). Despite the blow, England have chosen not to call up a replacement, instead relying on squad depth with Matthew Potts yet to feature and Matthew Fisher also available.
There is also a slim chance England consider Shoaib Bashir to partner Will Jacks should the SCG surface favour spin.

Atkinson leaves Australia with six wickets at 47.33 across the series, having returned to the XI in Melbourne to claim three crucial scalps on a lively MCG pitch. Crucially, this setback is not linked to the right-hamstring injury he suffered last summer, which saw him miss much of the India series.

With Australia already leading 3-1, England now head to Sydney facing another reshuffle in their bowling ranks. But buoyed by the momentum of their Melbourne win, Ben Stokes’ side will chase a strong finish to close out the Ashes on a high.

England squad: Ben Stokes (C), Harry Brook (VC), ~~Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson~~, 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

Ashes schedule: