Atkinson to miss out on Sydney Test with hamstring injury which had ruled him out for the remainder of the 4th Test in Melbourne.
Atkinson ruled out of final Ashes Test with hamstring injury.
Due to a left hamstring injury, England speed bowler Gus Atkinson will not play in the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney.
After Mark Wood (knee) and Jofra Archer (side strain), Atkinson became the third fast bowler from England to miss the tour due to injury during the fourth Test match against Australia in Melbourne.
On the second day, Atkinson bowled the last ball of his fifth over in Australia’s second innings, seemingly straining his hamstring. He was sent for a scan later on Saturday after leaving the pitch right away. England handled his defeat admirably, dismissing the hosts for 132 before chasing down 175 with four wickets remaining. He did not return to the field and was not asked to bat.
England has decided not to draft a replacement for the last Test in Sydney, which starts on January 4. Surrey’s Matthew Fisher is an option after being promoted from the England Lions team after Wood came home after the second Test, and Durham seamer Matthew Potts has yet to make an appearance.
If England wants another spinner to go with Will Jacks, Shoaib Bashir is another choice. They might consider it, even if it’s doubtful, since the SCG pitch might be flatter after the controversy over the MCG surface’s condition, which resulted in 36 wickets falling in just six sessions.
Fortunately for Atkinson, this most recent setback is not a relapse of the right hamstring injury he suffered during the Test match against Zimbabwe last summer, which prevented him from playing in the first four games against India.
As England’s offensive leader when he initially came in Australia, Atkinson found it difficult to keep up his speed and sharpness over the first two Test matches. After taking 3 for 151 from 33 overs in Brisbane after going wicketless in Perth, he was dropped for the crucial match in Adelaide.
Atkinson returned to the starting lineup at the MCG due to Archer’s injury, and he took three more wickets on a hot pitch. For the first time since making his debut at the beginning of the 2024 summer, he averages more than 28 in his seven series, leaving the tour with six at 47.33.