Injured England pacer ruled out of fifth Ashes Test in Sydney

England pace spearhead Gus Atkinson was, on Monday, ruled out of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia, scheduled to be played in Sydney, with a hamstring injury.

The Surrey right-armer hobbled off early on day two of the fourth Test in Melbourne, clutching his left leg and taking no further part in the game.

“Gus Atkinson has been ruled out for the remainder of the Ashes tour after scans confirmed he has sustained a left hamstring injury,” the England Cricket Board (ECB) said.

With one Test remaining in Sydney, scheduled to begin on January 4, England has decided not to bring in a replacement player.

This decision paves the way for either Matthew Potts or Matthew Fisher, both of whom are in the squad but have yet to feature in any game.

Notably, Gus Atkinson is the third England quick to be sidelined after Mark Wood (knee) and Jofra Archer (side strain), leaving Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Ben Stokes to shoulder the attack.

England are 3-1 down ahead of the Sydney Test starting on Sunday.

They suffered back-to-back eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane and an 82-run loss at Adelaide before bouncing back to clinch a four-wicket win in Melbourne.