England have selected spinner Shoaib Bashir in the 12-man squad for the fifth Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney.
Although Bashir started the series as England’s first-choice spinner, he did not feature in the first four games.
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The 22-year-old missed the first Test after being included in Perth’s 12-man squad and has since been overlooked by all-rounder Will Jacks.
Seamus Matthew Potts is also in England’s XI and the visitors are guaranteed to make at least one change from the side that won the fourth Test in Melbourne after Gus Atkinson was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
England, led by captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendan McCullum, usually finalize their XI two days after a Test.
However, the tourists have chosen to wait longer before the final, which starts on Sunday (23:30 GMT Saturday), in order to assess the condition of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
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On Thursday, the course looked covered in thick grass, but by Friday it had lost its green hue.
Sydney usually provides help to the slower bowlers. Three of the four leading Test wickets in the field are Australian spinners – Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill and Nathan Lyon.
But this Ashes has been dominated by seam bowling. Only nine wickets have been taken by spinners so far, putting it on track to be the fewest wickets taken by slow bowlers in at least four Tests in the Ashes series.
Australia omitted a spinner from their squad for the fourth Test as England won by four wickets in Melbourne to reduce the series deficit to 3-1.
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Now, the hosts are likely to include off-spinner Todd Murphy, while all-rounder Bo Webster is likely to replace Cameron Green and provide spin options.
England XII final Ashes Test: Ben Stokes (captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brooke, Brendan Cass, Zach Crowley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tonge.
Bashir has not played for England since the third Test against India in July. He suffered a broken finger during the match at Lord’s but was still able to take the wickets to seal a thrilling victory.
His only cricket during the Ashes tour was in the warm-up match between England and the England Lions before the first Test, and then played for the Lions against the Australian Cricket XI in Brisbane. In these games, Bashir’s overall score was 2-266.
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England picked Jacks because of the need to strengthen their batting. Primarily a batsman, Jacks provided depth at No. 8 and took four wickets. He did not take part in the two-day Test in Melbourne.
In reality, England’s choice is between Bashir and Jacks, depending on how effective the visitors think spin will be.
If Bashir is given the go-ahead, England will have a long tail with Brendan Cass at number eight.
Durham seamer Potts will make his Ashes debut as Atkinson’s replacement. Potts played the most recent of 10 Tests in New Zealand at the end of 2024.
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The 27-year-old was a regular in the England squad in the summer of 2022 under Stokes and McCullum, having had an on-again, off-again career over the past three years. He has made seven previous appearances for the team against six different opponents.
“He’s bowling really well,” England opener Zak Crawley said. “I’ve faced a few Portsea and he’s impressed me every time.
“He has the heart of a lion, a lot of skills and if he gets the nod this week he totally deserves it.”
