Ashes 2025-26: Shoaib Bashir, Matthew Potts named in England squad for SCG Test

England are likely to hand an Ashes debut to Durham pacer Matthew Potts in the New Year’s Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), having included him in the 12-member squad. Also included is off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who was not considered for any of the first four Tests.

Like Bashir, Potts has not featured in any of the four Tests so far, but is in line to feature at SCG with Gus Atkinson ruled out with a hamstring injury he suffered in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, which England won to open their account in the series after losses in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide.

England’s pace armoury is significantly depleted, with all of Mark Wood (left knee), Jofra Archer (side strain) and Atkinson missing. Matthew Fisher, who was called from the Lions squad as a replacement for Wood, is the only other pace option for the tourists.

Every time I face Potts, he impresses me: Zak Crawley

Speaking at the SCG on Friday, opener Zak Crawley lavished high praise on Potts and his never-say-die approach in the game. Potts last featured for England in December 2024, and has an impressive Test record with 36 wickets at 29.44 in 10 matches.

"Every time I face him, he impresses me," Crawley said of Potts. "He's got the heart of a lion, a lot of skill, and if he gets the nod this week, he thoroughly deserves it."

Meanwhile, Bashir is likely to sit out again, with the SCG track wearing a greenish look two days before the start of the Test and rain forecast for the first two days. Given that, it is unlikely that Ben Stokes would be inclined to field two spin options, as England have the all-round option of Will Jacks.

Despite losing the Ashes in record time, England have injected some respectability to the scoreline with a victory in the two-day affair at MCG, with a sumptuous prospect of making it 3-2 at SCG on the horizon.

With ruckus aplenty around the excessively bowling-friendly MCG strip in the previous encounter, SCG's chief curator, Adam Lewis, has expressed confidence that the upcoming one will see action across all five days.

"You want to see 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 took our learnings from last year," Lewis said. "Maybe a bit too much in it on day one. We always get nervous this time of year. This is our grand final. We work months leading into our Test preparation.

"We're just excited to get there. The only thing we can't control is the weather. We're just trying to prepare a pitch that's a great balance for bat and ball. 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's XII for SCG Test

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Brydon Carse, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir