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.
But they have retained the option of recalling 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.
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