England have made just the one change for Wednesday’s third Ashes Test, bringing Josh Tongue in for the out-of-sorts Gus Atkinson and keeping faith with the rest of a side that sits 2-0 down. The move is bold enough, but eyebrows have been raised by the continued absence of Shoaib Bashir on what is expected to be the most spin-friendly surface of the tour.
“We still think this group can win here,” Ben Stokes insisted on Monday. “Josh offers a point of difference with that extra nip and he loves a contest.” The captain’s confidence in his batting line-up, publicly reinforced at the weekend, means the under-pressure top seven remains untouched.
Atkinson, who began the series with high expectations, has struggled: three wickets at 78.66 and a noticeable drop in pace. He admitted in Hobart last week that “the ball’s just not come out the way I’d like”. The coaches have opted for Tongue’s knack of breaking partnerships over the metronomic control Matthew Potts might have supplied.
Tongue’s record is encouraging. Since debuting in 2023 he has 31 wickets from six Tests at 30.00, including five against Australia at Lord’s last year – Steven Smith twice. “He’s a bowler I respect,” Smith said at the time. “He can surprise you with that heavy length.” Tongue’s most recent Test return was 5 for 125 versus India, ending that series as England’s leading wicket-taker despite playing only three of the five matches. He also has a reputation for mopping up tails, a skill England sorely lacked in Brisbane when Australia’s last four partnerships swelled the hosts’ lead to 177.
Even so, his tour form is light: two wickets in two warm-ups, including a wicketless 16-over stint against the Prime Minister’s XI. Brendon McCullum is unfazed. “We’re not picking him for Canberra nets,” the head coach said. “We’re picking him for what he can do on game day.”
Bashir left out again
The bigger talking point is Bashir. Adelaide generally offers turn – Nathan Lyon is due back for Australia – yet England have chosen to stick with Tom Hartley as lone spinner. It suggests a degree of doubt over Bashir’s readiness following the finger fracture that cut short his 2025 summer. The 22-year-old has 68 wickets from 19 Tests at 39.00, respectable if not eye-catching, and was hailed by Stokes as “my No. 1 spinner” only 18 months ago.
“We love what Bash brings,” Stokes said. “He’s coming back nicely, but we felt one spinner was still the right balance here.” Privately, some in the camp worry that the off-spinner’s lengths have flattened since his return, robbing him of the overspin that originally drew comparisons with Lyon.
Selection balance
England’s think-tank has clearly gone for wicket-taking rather than run-containment. Tongue joins James Anderson, Mark Wood and the impressive Chris Woakes in a four-pronged seam attack, with Hartley asked to shoulder spin duties and Stokes ready to bowl “in short bursts if needed”.
Former captain Alastair Cook believes it is the correct call. “If you’re 2-0 down you need bowlers who shift the game. Tongue does that,” he told BBC Test Match Special. Yet Cook also warned: “You can’t ignore spin for long on an Adelaide Day-Nighter.”
Conditions and context
The pink ball can skid but also grip once the lacquer fades. Forecasts suggest dry, clear evenings, enhancing the chances of turn. England have not won a Test in Adelaide since 2010-11, though their last visit was closer than the innings defeat suggests; remember Joe Root’s battling hundred and Anderson’s five-for under lights.
Whatever happens, the margin for error is now razor-thin. Lose and the urn is gone. Win and the series flickers back to life. Stokes, typically laconic, summed it up: “We’ve boxed ourselves into a corner before and come out swinging. Let’s swing again.”
Probable England XI
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Josh Tongue (one to be omitted at toss).
It’s a side long on belief, short on recent results, and now pinned to a decision that Tongue’s bite outweighs Bashir’s turn. By Friday night we’ll know if they called it right.
