Potts, Bashir in England squad for 5th Ashes test

Seamer Matthew Potts and spinner Shoaib Bashir were included in a 12-man England squad Friday for the fifth Ashes test against Australia, with a final decision on who gets the nod likely after a better look at the wicket.

Potts is the only unused seamer from the tourists' original 16-man squad and gets his chance after Gus Atkinson limped off with a hamstring issue in the fourth test at Melbourne.

Fellow quicks Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have similarly succumbed to injury.

➡️ Shoaib Bashir
➡️ Matthew Potts

We've named our 12-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia 👇 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 2, 2026

Wood (knee) only played the first test in Perth while Archer was ruled out after the third test in Adelaide with a side strain.

Bashir was considered England's top tweaker when they arrived, but has yet to play with spinning allrounder Will Jacks preferred.

Australia lead the five-test series 3-1.

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