Three Lions name playing XI for Boxing Day 4th Test match of Ashes 2025-26
Jofra Archer ruled out for the remaining Tests; Ollie Pope dropped
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England will be without Jofra Archer for the remainder of their Ashes series with Australia through injury, while Ollie Pope has been replaced by Jacob Bethell for the fourth Test.
Archer has been a shining light in a disappointing tour Down Under, taking nine wickets across the first three matches, a total only bettered by Brydon Carse (14).
Gus Atkinson will be Archer's replacement in the squad after he missed the third Test.
Thirty-year-old Archer, who recently returned to Test action after a four-year absence, will now miss the upcoming Test in Melbourne and the final match of the series in Sydney.
In the third Test, Archer took 5-53 in the first innings and scored 51 with the bat as England fell to an 82-run defeat that saw Australia retain the urn in Adelaide.
"The effort that he's put in over these three games has been exceptional," captain Ben Stokes said of Archer on Tuesday.
"There were a lot of question marks around his ability or whatever it may be coming out to Australia, and he's put in a great effort for the team."
Archer's injury, which has been confirmed by England as a left side strain, has also thrown his participation in the T20 World Cup into doubt, which starts next February.
England hoped they would have Archer or Mark Wood to feature in all five Tests, but now finish with neither after the latter was ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury.
Elsewhere, Pope has finally run out of road having failed to score a half-century against Australia and has been dropped for the second consecutive Ashes tour.
He captained England at the end of their home series against India in Stokes' absence but was replaced as vice-captain before travelling to Australia.
Pope has managed to score just 125 runs across his six innings at an average of 20.83, with Bethell coming in for what will be just his fifth Test in the longest format.
Ben Duckett, meanwhile, has been retained despite his failure to reach 30 in his first innings of the Ashes series.
England XI for fourth Ashes Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue.
