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Ben Stokes-led England have announced their playing XI for the third match of the Ashes against Australia at Adelaide Oval, making a single change as Josh Tongue replaces Gus Atkinson in the pace attack, as per ESPNcricinfo.
Notably, England opted not to include Shoaib Bashir, despite the Adelaide pitch promising to be the most spin-friendly of this Ashes series. Trailing 2-0, England were always expected to make changes for their must-win Test. However, after head coach Brendon McCullum publicly backed a struggling top seven earlier, he and captain Ben Stokes have chosen to make only one adjustment, with Gus Atkinson dropping out. Atkinson has struggled throughout the tour. He has taken just three wickets from 54 overs at an average of 78.66--the highest among England's bowlers. England have turned to Josh Tongue. Tongue will earn his seventh Test cap since debuting in the 2023 home season, having claimed 31 wickets at an average of exactly 30. This will be Tongue's second outing against Australia, having previously played at Lord's in the last Ashes, where he took five wickets in the match, including dismissing Steven Smith twice--though the first came when Smith was on 110. The 28-year-old has taken Smith's wicket four times overall: once for Worcestershire in the 2023 County Championship when Smith was representing Sussex and again in this year's edition of The Hundred. Tongue's most recent Test appearance was in England's final match of the summer, where he claimed 5 for 125 against India--his second five-wicket haul--finishing as England's leading wicket-taker of the series with 19 scalps from just three matches. England playing XI for Adelaide Test against Australia: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue. (ANI)
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