Atkinson becomes third England bowler out of Ashes

After being informed that he will miss the final Test against Australia in Sydney, Gus Atkinson has been declared the third England pace bowler to be excluded from the series.

On the second and final morning of England’s victory in the fourth Test in Melbourne, Atkinson injured his left hamstring.

Matthew Potts will be in line to play in the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday (23:30 GMT on Saturday) because the visitors won’t be able to name a replacement.

Due to injuries, Atkinson joins Jofra Archer and Mark Wood in failing to complete the series. For the first Test in Perth, all three were first-choice players for England.

Wood hasn’t played since Perth because of his knee problem, and Archer was sidelined after three Tests due to a side strain.

Atkinson, who only managed three wickets in the first two Tests, was later dropped from the third.

In England’s first innings, the 27-year-old took three wickets and made 28 with the bat as he approached his best when he was called back for the fourth Test.

At the end of his fourth over, the second morning, he grabbed his left hamstring and left the field right away. As England came to an eight-wicket victory later that day, Atkinson was unplayed.

No word on when he will return to the UK, and when will he be evaluated further. Atkinson injured his right hamstring earlier this year, and he missed two months of play.

Durham’s Potts will be in line to make his Ashes debut in addition to his 10 Test caps due to Atkinson’s absence.

Since being defeated by New Zealand in Hamilton last December, the 27-year-old has not played a Test match.

Australia will consider making changes to their team after ending an 18-game unbeaten streak in their home Ashes Test matches, despite England’s unquestionable change for the series finale.

At the Sydney Cricket Ground, spinner Todd Murphy might replace him as the pace bowler, while Cameron Green, an all-rounder, is under pressure after a poor start.

Head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that Usman Khawaja will play in Sydney for what might be his final Test while Australia held an optional training session in Melbourne on Monday.

The left-hander turned 39 earlier this month, and Australia won’t play another Test until August.

McDonald, however, claimed that Khawaja is “no indication” that he will end his Test career.

McDonald said, “We’ve made it very clear that we haven’t had a conversation.” “The speculation came from somewhere else.”

After such a tiring tour, England are scheduled to begin a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka just two weeks later, on January 22. The final day of the Sydney Test is scheduled for January 8.

The three one-day internationals and T20s are a part of India and Sri Lanka’s preparation for the T20 World Cup in February and March.

England will announce its squads on Tuesday, and they are likely to be nearly at full strength, with multi-format players not anticipated to miss out despite their participation in the Ashes.

Archer’s availability might be questioned as a World Cup squad member and later considered for evaluation.

McDonald added that despite their limited participation in the Ashes due to injury, Australia will add fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to their 15-man provisional World Cup squad.