Atkinson becomes third England bowler out of Ashes

Gus Atkinson has become the third England bowler to be ruled out of the Ashes series after confirming he will miss the final Test against Australia in Sydney.

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

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The tourists will not call up a replacement, leaving Matthew Potts in line to play the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday (11:30 p.m. GMT Saturday).

Atkinson joins Mark Wood and Jofra Archer who failed to complete the series due to injuries. All three were part of England’s first choice XI for the first Test in Perth.

Wood has not played since Perth due to a knee problem, while Archer was ruled out after three Tests due to a side strain.

Surrey’s Atkinson struggled in the first two Tests, managing just three wickets, and was then left out of the third.

The 27-year-old looked closer to his best when recalled for the fourth Test, taking three wickets and making 28 with the bat in England’s first innings.

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He grabbed his left hamstring late in the fourth period of his spell on the second morning and immediately left the field. Atkinson played no further role as England secured a four-wicket victory later the same day.

There is no confirmation as to when he will return to the UK, at which point he will be subject to further assessment. Earlier this year, Atkinson spent two months on the sidelines with a right hamstring injury.

Atkinson’s absence leaves Durham’s Potts in line to add his own to his 10 Test caps and make his Ashes debut.

The 27-year-old has not played a Test match since the defeat to New Zealand in Hamilton last December.

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A regular in the first summer of the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum era, Potts has made sporadic appearances over the past two years. His previous seven caps came against six different opponents.

While England will certainly make one change for the series finale, Australia will also be mulling over changes to their team after surrendering an 18-match unbeaten streak in the Ashes Tests at home.

Spinner Todd Murphy could replace a pace bowler at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while all-rounder Cameron Green is under pressure after a lean spell with the bat.

As Australia held an optional training session in Melbourne on Monday, head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed slugger Usman Khawaja would play in Sydney for what could be his final Test.

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The southpaw turned 39 earlier this month and Australia won’t play another Test until August.

However, McDonald said there was “no indication” that Khawaja was about to call time on his Test career.

“We’ve been very clear that we haven’t had a conversation,” McDonald said. “The speculation comes from outside.”

The final day of the Sydney Test is scheduled for January 8 and after such a grueling tour, England are then expected to begin a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka two weeks later on January 22.

The three one-day and T20 internationals are part of the build-up to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February and March.

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England will name their squads on Tuesday and are likely to be close to their full squad, with multi-format players not expecting to be rested despite being involved in the Ashes.

There will be a question over the availability of Archer, who could be named in the World Cup squad and assessed closer to the tournament.