Josh Tongue Replaces Atkinson in England XI for Ashes Test

England, led by Ben Stokes, have announced their playing XI for the third Ashes Test against Australia, to be played at the Adelaide Oval. The team has made only one change, with fast bowler Josh Tongue replacing Gus Atkinson in the pace attack. England are currently trailing 2-0 in the series, making this a must-win match for them.

Despite the Adelaide pitch expected to help spin bowling more than previous matches, England decided not to include spinner Shoaib Bashir. Head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes chose to largely back the same squad, even though changes were expected after two losses. Gus Atkinson was left out after a difficult tour, where he managed only three wickets in 54 overs at a high average.

Josh Tongue returns to the Test side for his seventh appearance since making his debut in 2023. He has taken 31 Test wickets at an average of 30 and has previous experience against Australia. Tongue played at Lord’s in the last Ashes series, where he took five wickets in the match and dismissed Steven Smith twice. Overall, he has dismissed Smith four times across formats.

Tongue’s most recent Test match was against India, where he took five wickets and finished as England’s top wicket-taker in that series with 19 wickets from three matches. His return adds extra pace and aggression to England’s bowling attack.

England’s playing XI for the Adelaide Test includes Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, and Josh Tongue.