MELBOURNE– England’s Ashes tour has taken another hit, with Jofra Archer ruled out of the final two Tests because of a left side strain. At the same time, Ollie Pope has been left out for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the news on Christmas Eve, along with a fresh-looking XI. England are 3-0 down after Australia’s 82-run win in Adelaide, which locked up the urn. Archer has been one of England’s few positives, so losing him now is a serious setback. He will fly home for further checks, bringing more worry about his body, only months after his long-awaited return to Test cricket.
Archer’s career has been shaped by stop-start fitness, and this is another tough chapter. The 30-year-old, born in Barbados, has played only five Tests since his breakout in 2019. He showed encouraging signs on his return against India earlier this year, but the side strain, picked up in the third Test, has ended his tour early.
He took a five-wicket haul in Australia’s first innings in Adelaide, then managed just 12.4 overs in the second innings. Even so, he leaves the series with nine wickets from three Tests at 27.11. He has often looked like the only bowler who could change the mood of a session. Archer also chipped in with the bat, including a hard-earned 51 in Adelaide.
Ben Stokes called Archer’s work “exceptional”, especially with England carefully managing his load. “Jofra has been our bright spot in a tough series,” Stokes said. “It’s gutting for him and us, but his health comes first. We’re hopeful he’ll be ready for the T20 World Cup in February.”
England’s pace stocks were already thin after Mark Wood was ruled out following the first Test with a knee problem. No new player has been added to the squad yet, although Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been talked about as a possible standby.
Pope Dropped After Long Run Without Scores
The other big call is the dropping of Ollie Pope. His form has been sliding for a while, and it has now stretched to 16 Ashes innings without a half-century. The former vice-captain, who lost that role before the tour, has scored 125 runs at 20.83 from six innings. His best has been 46 in Perth.
Australia’s attack has kept finding ways through him, and talk around his No. 3 spot has grown louder since Harry Brook took over as vice-captain. Jacob Bethell, 22, comes in for his first Ashes Test and will bat at three. The left-hander has looked comfortable in his early Test chances, with 271 runs at 38.71 from eight innings, including three fifties against New Zealand last winter.
Gus Atkinson also returns, replacing Archer after sitting out the Adelaide Test. England’s XI for the fourth Test is: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue.
England’s Test Becomes a Fight for Pride
With Australia already winning the series in just 11 days across the first three Tests, England are now playing for pride and to avoid a whitewash. A crowd of more than 90,000 is expected at the MCG on Boxing Day.
England have been second-best for long stretches, with regular batting collapses, even with a few bursts of Bazball intent. Australia has handled the series with calm control and will rest Pat Cummins in Melbourne while keeping their bowlers fresh and rotating as needed.
England has also had noise off the field. Opener Ben Duckett keeps his place despite an ECB investigation into a viral video that appears to show him drunk during a team break. Stokes said he will give his players “complete support” during the attention around it.
England still has world-class quality in Joe Root, and Brook can change a game quickly. But as they head towards the final two Tests, they are doing it without their quickest bowler and with another major batting change. Australia, led by Steve Smith in Cummins’ absence, will feel they are well placed to keep control of the Ashes.
