England have confirmed a 12-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney, with seamer Matthew Potts set for his first appearance of the series following the injury-enforced exit of Gus Atkinson.
Potts, who has travelled the entire tour without playing, is now primed for an 11th Test cap after Atkinson suffered a hamstring injury in the Boxing Day Test. Shoaib Bashir has also been named in the squad, although the offspinner is once again the likely omission from the final XI given England’s team balance and gloomy Sydney forecast.
The visitors head into the SCG clash with renewed confidence after finally snapping their winless run in Australia, claiming a four-wicket victory in Melbourne, their first Test triumph on Australian soil since 2011, to reduce the series deficit to 3-1 and collect crucial ICC World Test Championship (WTC) points.
England are expecting a flatter surface at the SCG after the fiery two-day finish at the MCG, with captain Ben Stokes delaying confirmation of his XI until match eve. The presence of allrounder Will Jacks makes a two-spinner strategy unlikely, especially with rain predicted over the first two days.
Potts has been a trusted option under the Stokes-McCullum regime, taking 20 wickets at 28 in his debut 2022 summer. Despite drifting out of favour more recently, the Durham pacer has earned strong backing from teammates, with opener Zak Crawley praising his “heart of a lion” and relentless work ethic in the nets.
With Jofra Archer already back home and Matthew Fisher drafted in as injury cover, Potts now has the opportunity to help England chase consecutive victories, a result Crawley believes would show the resilience inside the dressing room.
“The Ashes haven’t gone our way,” Crawley said. “But finishing 3-2 instead of 4-1 would say a lot about who we are as a group.”
First ball at the SCG is scheduled for Sunday, with England chasing momentum, and pride, to close out the series.
England XII: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
Ashes schedule:
- First Test: Perth Stadium, November 21-22 (Australia won by eight wickets)
- Second Test: Gabba, December 4-7 (Australia won by eight wickets)
- Third Test: Adelaide Oval, December 17-21 (Australia won by 82 runs)
- Fourth Test: MCG, December 26-30 (England won by 4 wickets)
- Fifth Test: SCG, January 4-8
