It is going from bad to worse for England. After slipping to a 0–3 deficit and conceding the Ashes to Australia inside just 11 days, their woes have deepened with lead fast bowler Jofra Archer ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a side strain. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Wednesday, December 24, that Archer will miss the final two Tests.

England have also dropped Ollie Pope, their former vice-captain, from the XI for the fourth Test, which begins on Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Pope endured a torrid run with the bat, scoring just 125 runs across six innings.

While Archer has been replaced by Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell comes in for Pope in the XI for the fourth Test.

It is a significant setback for England, who will be without both of their pace spearheads — Archer and Mark Wood. Wood was ruled out after the opening Test following the recurrence of a long-standing knee injury. Although he had been targeting a return for the fourth and fifth Tests, England have opted not to risk forcing him back into action after relinquishing the Ashes urn.

ENGLAND XI FOR BOXING DAY TEST:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue.

– Ends

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