Fast bowler Gus Atkinson was ruled out of the fifth and final Test match against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground, adding to England’s injury woes in the Ashes 2025–26 series. The Surrey pacer will miss the series finals due to a left hamstring injury, according to scans.
After a 14-year wait for an overseas Ashes Test victory, England won the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Atkinson sustained the injury. Early on the second day, while delivering the last delivery of his fifth consecutive over in Australia’s second innings, the 27-year-old seemed to hurt his hamstring.
He left the field right away and didn’t come back for the rest of the game. He was later confirmed by the visitors to have been sent for scans, which disqualified him from the Sydney Test beginning on January 4. After Jofra Archer, who had a side strain following the Adelaide Test, and Mark Wood, who was sidelined due to a knee injury, Gus Atkinson is the third England fast bowler to miss time on the trip.
In Melbourne, Gus Atkinson was dismissed, but England still managed to bowl Australia out for just 132 before chasing down a target of 175 to win by four wickets. But with the Three Lions now behind 3-1 in the five-match series, his absence presents a selection dilemma before the last Test.
Gus Atkinson takes six wickets to end the series.
England has decided not to call up someone to take Atkinson’s place. The team management will instead select from the current roster, which includes Surrey’s Matthew Fisher, who was elevated from the England Lions group earlier in the trip, and Durham seamer Matthew Potts, who has not yet appeared in the series. If the club decides to play another spinner in addition to Will Jacks, Shoaib Bashir is still an option.
As England’s attack leader, Gus Atkinson arrived in Australia but found it difficult to establish himself, going wicketless in Perth and giving up a lot in Brisbane. After Archer’s injury, he was benched for the crucial Adelaide Test before making a comeback to the starting lineup at the MCG.
His least productive performance since making his Test debut in early 2024, he took three wickets and finished the series with six wickets at an average of 47.33. The right hamstring problem that kept Atkinson out of much of last summer has nothing to do with this ailment, the England and Wales Cricket Board said.
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