Jofra Archer is heading home. A fresh side strain has ended the fast bowler’s Ashes campaign and forced England into yet another reshuffle before the Melbourne Test. Gus Atkinson takes Archer’s place in the XII, while Jacob Bethell steps up for the out-of-form Ollie Pope at No. 3. Ben Duckett, despite lean scores and an ongoing ECB investigation into an off-field matter, keeps his spot.
Archer’s comeback summer had promised so much. Since returning in July after four injury-hit years, he has looked England’s liveliest threat, collecting nine wickets in three Tests on this tour and chipping in with handy lower-order runs. Captain Ben Stokes called his spell in Adelaide “exceptional”, a word the fast bowler clearly enjoyed hearing. Yet Archer bowled only five overs in Australia’s second innings there, felt discomfort, and was sent for scans in Melbourne on Tuesday. He will fly back to the UK next week for further assessment. Medical staff remain optimistic he will recover in time for February’s T20 World Cup, so no long-term replacement has been named. Matthew Potts and Matthew Fisher are already on tour and cover the final Test in Sydney if required.
Atkinson, therefore, returns to the XI and is expected to share the new ball with Brydon Carse. Shoaib Bashir again misses out, despite Stokes’ repeated assurances that the young off-spinner is “our No. 1” in the format. Spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks retains the No. 8 berth, while Josh Tongue is rewarded for his five-for in Adelaide.
The batting change is more striking. Pope’s average against Australia sits at 20.83 after 16 innings without a fifty, and this is the second successive away Ashes in which he has been dropped. He briefly captained England during Stokes’ absence against India last September, but a modest return of 125 runs in this series has left selectors searching for stability at first drop.
Enter Bethell. The 22-year-old made his Test debut in New Zealand last winter and will collect a fifth cap on Boxing Day. Oddly, he played just once for Warwickshire in last summer’s County Championship and is yet to post a first-class hundred. What he has done is push his white-ball credentials – he even captained England’s T20 side in Ireland – and score three half-centuries in New Zealand batting at No. 3. Coaches like his uncomplicated method and, just as importantly, his left-handedness against a right-arm heavy Australian attack.
Pope’s defenders point to his 171 against Zimbabwe in June and the fluent 108 at Headingley, knocks that underlined his potential when the ball stops seaming. But one fifty in his last 14 Test innings tells its own tale. A tendency to play too many shots, too early, against genuinely quick bowling has proved costly, and patience in the dressing-room has finally thinned.
Duckett’s position was also discussed. The opener has managed only 96 runs in four innings on this trip, edging and flashing more in hope than control. On top of that, the ECB continues to look into an alleged late-night incident in Perth before the first Test – details remain sketchy and no charge has been laid. For now, head coach Brendon McCullum believes continuity at the top is the lesser evil.
Former England batter Lydia Greenway understands the logic. “You don’t want two new faces walking out early in an Ashes Test,” she said on BBC Radio. “Duckett has made runs in tougher situations before, and they clearly feel his intent still fits the overall approach.”
There is also the small matter of England’s slide in the series. They trail 0-2 after losses in Brisbane and Adelaide, and their attack suddenly looks thin without Archer. Atkinson’s extra pace helps, but he remains raw at Test level. Tongue, lively in Adelaide, is still finding his feet, while Jacks’ off-spin is serviceable rather than penetrative on Australian pitches. Stokes did consider drafting in Bashir for more control yet stuck with an extra seamer, perhaps mindful that the MCG surface has tended to quicken up since its 2022 relaying.
Australia, by contrast, arrive in Melbourne settled and confident. Pat Cummins’ barnstorming nine-wicket match haul at Adelaide – “the benchmark,” according to Sky Sports analyst Andrew Miller – highlighted the gulf in incisiveness between the sides. England’s brains trust admit they need early wickets to hit back, and Stokes has hinted at using himself in short, aggressive bursts, workload permitting.
For Bethell, though, the focus is narrower. “I’m just looking forward to getting stuck in,” he told county team-mate Rob Yates over a video call posted by Warwickshire. “It’s the Ashes, Boxing Day, can’t really ask for much more.” A simple sentiment, yet if he settles quickly England’s batting card could look more balanced than it has all tour.
Probable England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue.
Notable omissions: Jofra Archer (injured), Ollie Pope (dropped), Shoaib Bashir (unused).
