Shoaib Bashir, Matthew Potts named in England squad for fifth Ashes Test against Australia as Sydney surface offers intrigue
Published 02/01/2026 at 09:22 GMT
England have named their 12-player squad for the fifth and final Test of the 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men's Ashes, with Shoaib Bashir and Matthew Potts both hoping for their first appearance of the series. Gus Atkinson is out with a hamstring issue, with England's resources having already been stretched by Mark Wood and Jofra Archer's injuries. Watch the fifth Test on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts have been named in England's 12-man squad for the fifth and final 2025/26 NRMA Insurance men's Ashes Test in Sydney.
Gus Atkinson, meanwhile, has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, as the only absentee from the fourth Test in Melbourne - England's only victory down under in the series thus far, and their first Test win in Australia since 2011.
Australia won the opening three Tests of this series to retain the urn, but England managed to avoid a whitewash by claiming victory in a two-day shoot-out in Melbourne. The fifth Test is live on TNT Sports and discovery+, with coverage on TNT Sports 1 getting underway on Saturday at 22:30 (UK time).
Bashir has not featured in any of the opening four Tests for England, despite his inclusion in the 12-man squad for the opener in Perth.
The 22-year-old has been England's first-choice spinner for approximately 18 months, but with uncertainty over the conditions at the Sydney Cricket Ground, it is unclear whether he and Potts will both be given the nod, or whether just one will get their first minutes of the Ashes series.
Per the BBC, only nine wickets have been taken by spin bowlers in the Ashes series thus far - offering an intriguing conundrum, with Sydney typically favouring spinners - Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill and Nathan Lyon comprising three of the four leading wicket-takers at the venue.
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Bashir has not played for England since the 22-run victory against India in July, when he took the winning wicket despite nursing a broken finger. He missed the subsequent draw and defeat in the five-match series.
He played in the warm-up game against England Lions in November, before featuring for England's second side against an Australian XI in Brisbane.
Potts, meanwhile, last featured in a Test for England against New Zealand in 2024.
The squad is otherwise the same for England from the fourth-Test victory - with several members of the XII expected to have just a short rest period following the fifth Test before heading to Sri Lanka on January 18 for the white-ball tour - live on TNT Sports and discovery+ - ahead of the T20 World Cup.
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Adam Lewis, chief curator of the Sydney Cricket Ground, is hopeful the playing surface will remain in shape, despite concerns over how green it has looked ahead of the Ashes finale.
"You want to see a green tinge three days out," Lewis said. "If you're not seeing any live grass three days out, then that's when [it's a worry]… I'm really comfortable with where we're sitting.
"We had a little bit of sun this morning. They're saying a bit more sun tomorrow. That will take the greenness out of the pitch. We're really happy with the pitches at the moment. We're looking good."
England XII for fifth Ashes Test in Sydney: Ben Stokes (c), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
Watch live coverage of the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney, starting on Saturday January 3, on TNT Sports and discovery+
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