England made one change to their line-up ahead of the crucial third Ashes Test, with Josh Tongue replacing Gus Atkinson in the must-win match against Adelaide.
That means Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks will remain the designated spinner, with Shoaib Bashir once again without the spot.
Atkinson was dropped after managing just three wickets at an average of 78.66, with fellow seamer Tan returning to the line-up.
Tan was England’s top wicket-taker against India in the summer and took five wickets in the only Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2023, dismissing Steve Smith in each innings.
Brendon McCullum’s side are trailing 0-2 in the five-match series against Australia after sluggish eight-wicket losses in Perth and Brisbane, but Adelaide Oval’s often batsmen-friendly surface could help the tourists fight back in their next matches, starting on Wednesday.
On Sunday, England’s head coach said of Tan’s potential use: “We all know what he brings. High pace, full-length, hits the wicket hard, can swing or reverse swing the ball. If that’s what we think will be most successful, he’ll score.”
Stokes: I know Bashir will be disappointed.
Bashir, whose contract with Somerset has expired and is currently without a county contract, bowls with a high release point and can elicit bounce off the surface, but has once again been ignored despite England’s faith in the bowler in recent years, especially in this particular series.
“It’s going to be disappointing for Bash. We just feel having him (Jacks) at number eight will strengthen their batting a little bit,” captain Ben Stokes said of the spinners, who had struggled in the tour’s warm-up games.
The emotional thing would be that Bashir deserves to come in, he’s the player they’ve been building around. But you have to say who’s the better spinner come Wednesday? Thursday’s going to be 38 degrees, it’s supposed to spin, there’s Mitchell Starc’s footprint, so who’s going to bowl better? Is Jacks bowling good with spin? That’s the only decision.
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain talks about Shoaib Bashir
“We’ve had to make some big decisions and big decisions the last few times to get the team that we think gives us the best chance and that’s what we chose.
“We’re down 2-0, so we’re trying to give ourselves the best chance with the bat and ball.”
With temperatures expected to reach close to 40 degrees in Adelaide this week, Australia look certain to recall chief spinner Nathan Ryan, who was left out of day and night practice in Brisbane.
England keep their faith in their batting line-up
Meanwhile, as McCullum hinted on Sunday, England will field an unchanged top-seven batting line-up for the Tests they must win to have any hope of regaining the Ashes in the remaining series.
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England manager Brendon McCullum said the incident with tourist security staff and a TV cameraman was “not ideal” and praised his team’s handling of off-field “hostile behavior” in Australia.
Ollie Pope suffered two outrageous dismissals in the pink-ball match at The Gabba in the second Test – playing with an angled bat and chopping into the stumps in the first innings, and attempting a reckless drive in the second where he was caught and bowled – but number three retains his former position in front of Jacob Bethell.
Joe Root is the only player to average more than 30 after the first two Ashes Tests, but McCullum said: “The conditions (in Adelaide) should suit the style of our batsmen.”
“We know we haven’t scored enough points so far in this series, we’ve been in positions to score and we’ve made some mistakes.
“But it’s not about abandoning what we’ve had success with over the last few years. It’s about having more belief. Reacting off-guard and chopping and changing a stable batting lineup isn’t really our style.”
Condolences expressed to victims of Bondi Beach terrorist attack
After training at Adelaide Oval on Monday, Australian and England players paid their respects to the victims of Sunday’s terrorist attack on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people.
England, who are due to visit Sydney in early January for the fifth Ashes Test, issued a statement of support following the attack.
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Australia spinner Nathan Ryan and England vice-captain Harry Brule pay tribute to Bondi Beach terror attack victims
“Everyone in the England cricket team is deeply saddened by the horrific events that occurred at Bondi Beach yesterday evening,” it read.
“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends at this very tragic time. Our thoughts are with the people of Sydney, the Jewish community and we extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected.”
England vice-captain Harry Brook added: “It was a frightening day for everyone involved at Bondi Beach. Our thoughts are with them and the horrific incident that occurred.”
“We supported them until the end and are very sorry for what happened.”
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon added: “We are very saddened. It’s a scary day for everyone involved but we’re rooting for them. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, we’re thinking of them and we hope they get through this.”
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
Australia leads series 5 games 2-0
