England pace spearhead Jofra Archer ruled out of the the Ashes series – SUCH TV
Archer has arguably been England’s best bowler over the first three Tests, sending down 80 overs and claiming nine wickets.
He is replaced by Gus Atkinson, who leads the attack alongside Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse and skipper Ben Stokes, with Will Jacks retained as the spin option.
It is a major setback for England who are 3-0 down in the series and desperate to restore pride at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting Friday.
They are already without quick Mark Wood who bowled just 11 overs for the tour before succumbing to a knee injury.
The under-performing Pope paid for his poor form at number three, with Jacob Bethell taking over in the only other change.
Opener Ben Duckett, who was purportedly shown drunk on an unverified video in between the second and third Tests, held his spot.
England:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, (capt), Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue
Stokes priority
Captain Ben Stokes said protecting England players’ welfare was his top concern Wednesday amid claims of excessive drinking on a mid-Ashes beach break, without directly addressing the allegations.
Stokes was peppered with questions ahead of the fourth Test in Melbourne about the team’s behaviour at Noosa between the second and third Tests after British media reports compared it to a “stag-do”.
Unverified social media footage appeared to show opener Ben Duckett drunk and disoriented.
Their disastrous tour took another hit Wednesday when pace spearhead Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the series with a side strain.
England cricket chief Rob Key on Tuesday pledged to investigate the drinking claims, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement it was intent on establishing the facts.
Stokes, whose team have already lost the Ashes, said his main concern was the players’ mental welfare and to ensure they were ready for the Melbourne Test starting Friday.
“I’m obviously aware of the reports and everything circulating around right now,” Stokes said.
“My main concern right now is my players, and how I handle this moment right now is the most important thing to me.
“The welfare of everyone in there, and probably some certain individuals as well, is the most important thing to me right now as England captain.
“It’s never a nice place to be in when not only the media world, but also the social media world, is piling on top of you,” he added.
“It’s a very tough place to be in as an individual. As an individual, when you know you’ve got the support of the people who are sort of leaders, in a sense, it’s very good to know that you’ve got that support.”
Asked directly whether his teammates had “done anything wrong in Noosa”, Stokes replied: “I’ve just answered everything there.”
No leg to stand on
England went to Queensland tourist resort Noosa after losing the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane heavily.
They spent several days on the sand and around restaurants and bars before travelling to Adelaide, where they lost the third Test as Australia retained the Ashes.
Britain’s Daily Telegraph reported that “after drowning their sorrows after the Brisbane Test, it is no exaggeration to say some, certainly not all, players drank for five or six days”.
It added that players “did nothing outrageous in Noosa” but there was concern over the level of drinking, with England’s professionalism already under the microscope after their limited preparations.
Stokes conceded that when a side was losing there would be scrutiny, and “rightly so”.
“When you are 3-0 down you don’t really have a leg to stand on but we’ve got two games of cricket to play. That’s what we have to focus on,” he said.
“We haven’t won a game in Australia for a long, long time.”
England have gone 18 Tests since winning a match in Australia, dating back to their last series victory there in 2010-11.
Their capitulation in this series in 11 days of play is the joint second quickest in more than a century, since the 1921 Ashes was completed in eight days.
Making matters worse, Archer will take no further part in the tour, with Gus Atkinson replacing him in Melbourne.
The under-performing Ollie Pope paid for his poor form at number three, with Jacob Bethell taking over in the only other change.
Lyon determined to bounce back
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon is determined to fight his way back into the Australian team after undergoing surgery for a torn hamstring, coach Andrew McDonald said.
The 38-year-old faces an extended period on the sidelines after damaging his right hamstring saving a boundary on day five of the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.
McDonald said Lyon remained a key part of their plans as reports speculated that his 141-Test career could be over.
It is the second serious injury Lyon has sustained in two years after being ruled out of the previous Ashes series against England with a calf injury picked up at Lord’s in 2023.
He had surgery on Tuesday, but was expected to be with the team during the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne starting Friday.
“He’s pretty shattered,” McDonald told cricket.com.au late Tuesday. “He’s a huge part of what we do.
“He’s facing a long recovery timeframe. That type of injury, it’s going to be a hard period for him to get back to where he was.
“But he still wants to do it and that’s the main thing.”
After the final two Ashes Tests in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia’s next series is not until the middle of 2026, when they host Bangladesh.
After that is a busy period culminating in a five-Test tour of India from late-January 2027, and then the 150th anniversary Test against England in March.
“India’s on the horizon, he’ll be a key part of that,” McDonald said of Lyon.
“We’ve got New Zealand (and) South Africa before that. So, get through this rehab and then (we’ll) look forward.”
