Gus Atkinson ruled out of fifth Ashes 2025-26 match:Pacer had sustained hamstring injury in Boxing Day Test, England not to name replacement

England fast bowler Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the fifth and final Ashes 2025-26 Test to be played in Sydney due to a left thigh muscle strain. He sustained this injury during the fourth Test played in Melbourne. The fifth Test in Ashes 2025-26 is set to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), starting on 4 January. Australia have a 3-1 lead, but England would be confident of securing another victory after beating the Aussies inside two days in the Boxing Day Test. Gus Atkinson had sustained injury during the fourth Test The right-arm pacer had sustained the injury on Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). This happened when he was bowling the last ball of the fifth over when he experienced a muscle strain and left the field soon after. Atkinson did not return to the field whatsoever. He had a scan done on 27 December. “England Men’s seamer Gus Atkinson has been ruled out for the remainder of the Ashes tour after scans confirmed he has sustained a left hamstring injury. The Surrey right-armer left the field after bowling his fifth over of Australia’s second innings during England’s victory at the MCG in the fourth Test,” a statement by England, read. Also read: England register first Test win in Australia after 14 years: Wrap Boxing Day Test under two days for 1st time; Duckett-Crawley’s 50+ stand for winning cause Becomes England’s third injured fast bowler Atkinson has become the third England fast bowler to be ruled out in the Ashes 2025-26 due to injury. Earlier, Mark Wood (knee) and Jofra Archer (side strain) had returned home due to injuries. England achieved historic win in Melbourne Test After being handed three defeats, which cost them the Ashes, England finally delivered a match-winning performance to beat Australia in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. A total of 36 wickets fell in two days as England came out on top. This was England’s first Test win in Australia since 2011. England will not name Gus Atkinson’s replacement Despite being handed an injury blow in the form of Atkinson, England won’t be calling up any player as his replacement. The England team management believe that the squad already has options in the form of Matthew Potts, who has not played this series yet and Matthew Fisher, who was called up as Mark Wood’s replacement. England also have a spin-bowling option in Shoaib Bashir if they want to go that route. However, the SCG pitch is expected to be flat and thus, spin might not be a preferred option to replace Atkinson. Also read: Mustafizur Rahman threatened by Ujjain religious leaders before IPL: Seers warn of disrupting matches if KKR’s Bangladeshi cricketer plays Gus Atkinson’s previous injury struggles Atkinson has had his share of struggles with injury in the past. The right-arm pacer had earlier missed four Tests out of the five in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to a hamstring injury. He however, returned in the fifth and final Test played at The Oval and picked up eight wickets. How has Gus Atkinson performed in the Ashes? Atkinson has played three matches in Ashes 2025-26 and picked up six wickets, at an average of 47.33. He had scalped three wickets in the Melbourne Test, which England won by four wickets. The 27-year-old did not play the Adelaide Test.