Matthew Potts set for Ashes opportunity and England mull Shoaib Bashir option

England are expected to hand Matthew Potts his Ashes debut in the final Test against Australia, but the door has not closed on spinner Shoaib Bashir returning to the side.

The tourists have already surrendered the urn but, having won a two-day shootout in Melbourne, are hoping to cut their losses by leaving with successive victories and a 3-2 scoreline.

Potts and Bashir have both been named in a 12-man squad for Sunday’s fifth Test at Sydney, with resources stretched by series-ending injuries to Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson.

Durham seamer Potts is favourite to add to his 10 caps, having last featured in December 2024, and comes with a solid Test record of 36 wickets at 29.44.

The 27-year-old could take the new ball at the SCG, having opened the bowling routinely at Durham, in a move that would allow Brydon Carse to return to a more familiar first-change role.

Opener Zak Crawley, England’s leading run-scorer on tour, gave Potts a glowing review.

“I faced a bit of Pottsy and every time I face him he impresses me,” he said.

“He’s got the heart of a lion, a lot of skill and if he gets the nod this week he thoroughly deserves it.”

But England have retained the option of calling on Bashir if conditions look likely to offer generous turn.

The 22-year-old has spent the last 18 months as the team’s first-choice spinner but a combination of unhelpful surfaces, modest scores from the top seven and his own middling form in practice have seen him fall out of favour on this trip.

It would take an extreme change of heart for the decision to go his way, with just nine wickets falling to spin in the first four Tests and showers expected across the first two days.

For Crawley, a trip to the SCG offers a chance to reflect on an innings that lit a spark under his career four years ago.

An attacking 77, scored in just 100 balls with 13 fours, proved a significant calling card in a tough trip for England’s top order. He has never fallen out of favour since, despite mixed results.

“I remember that knock clearly. It was one of my favourite ever knocks, not in terms of the score I got but in the way I played,” he said.

“I spent a lot of time in Sydney in my life, played some grade cricket seasons out here, so I feel comfortable. I feel like I really enjoy playing my cricket in Sydney, so hopefully I can lean on that and create more memories.”

Crawley may have been planning for an extended break at the end of the Ashes but instead found himself handed an ODI recall for the Sri Lanka tour that begins just a couple of weeks after the conclusion of the fifth Test.

And, two years on from his last white-ball appearance, it is a chance he is eager to embrace.

He added: “It’s a massive goal of mine, and always has been, to play across formats. So I’m extremely excited about the opportunity and I’ll give it my best shot.

“I still feel young and fresh so it’s all good for me. I’d play every day if we could so I’ve got no problem with that.”