England have suffered a setback in the ongoing Ashes series against Australia, with fast bowler Jofra Archer being ruled out for the remainder of their tour with injury. The news was confirmed by their cricket body, the England and Wales Cricket Board, while releasing their Playing-XI for the fourth test to be played on 26th Dec at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Jofra Archer Side Strained
Jofra Archer has been ruled out due to a side strain, thus ending his Ashes series immediately. This is the latest hitting England’s pace battery, which has been struggling due to injuries. Jofra Archer will not feature in the Boxing Day Test, and he will also not play in the remaining part of the tour.
This comes after the exclusion of Mark Wood who was left out after the Brisbane test due to a left knee injury. With the absence of two experienced fast bowlers, the bowling strength of England has been thoroughly tested in the battle of AUS vs ENG.
Gus Atkinson Mentioned as Replacing Archer
To compensate for Archer, England have included Gus Atkinson in the Playing XI for the fourth Test. The Melbourne pitch seems to favor pace and bounce, and it could be an opportunity for Atkinson to perform well on debut.
Ollie Pope Dropped After His Poor Form Continues
In another key decision, England have left Ollie Pope out of the XI for the Melbourne Test. Pope has had trouble all tournament, scoring only 125 runs in the series of six innings, the majority of which came in the first test.
At number 3, instead of this player, they have assigned Jacob Bethell, who is getting a very important chance in this massive international match of world cricket. English supporters, cinema lovers, sports journalists, filmmakers, conflict resolution specialists, architects, and performance coach
England Playing XI for the Fourth Ashes Test
Zak Crawley
Ben Duckett
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Jacob Bethell
Joe Root
Harry Brook
Ben Stokes (Captain)
Jamie Smith (Wicketkeeper)
Will Jacks
Gus Atkinson
Brydon Carse
Josh Tongue
England is already down in the series against AUS.
England are under massive pressure as they enter the Melbourne test match, as they have already lost the Ashes series. The Australian team has already won the first three test matches, so England are left playing to save their pride.
Jofra Archer is another name that joins the list of injured English cricketers, thereby making their already difficult task of avoiding a whitewash even tougher in the ongoing AUS vs ENG series.
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