England are 2-0 down in Australia, and facing the possibility of once again losing an Ashes series Down Under at the earliest opportunity.
Having made one change following their defeat in Perth, and having disappointed with both bat and ball in Brisbane, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes face decisions over which members of their XI they will retain for the Adelaide Test. As the second Test finished on day four, there will be a full nine days in between matches to mull over which combination will give them the best chance of staying in the series.
Those combinations aren't straightforward, with only one back-up batter in the wider squad – Jacob Bethell – and no spare specialist keeper. There will also be the workload of the quicks to manage, after Australia batted for 117.3 overs in their first innings in Brisbane. Here are the players they may look to replace, and who could come in for them.
2nd Test, Australia vs England
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Ollie Pope
Of England's batting lineup, Ollie Pope is the most likely to make way. Zak Crawley had a decent Test at the Gabba, making 76 in the first innings, and while Harry Brook has copped flak for the manner of his dismissals, he has enough credit in the bank to last the series. Pope, meanwhile, after impressing in the first innings at Perth, has reverted to his skittish struggles, failing to find the clarity that he spoke of needing before the second Test. The easiest way England could replace Pope is to bring in Bethell, the man who's been breathing down his neck for the No.3 spot over the last year. Pope won the battle before the series, with Bethell failing to impress against India in the summer and in the white-ball tour of New Zealand that preceded the series, and with Pope scoring a century against the Lions in the pre-Perth warm-up match. However, Bethell scored 71 against Australia A today (December 7), and would be the neatest way to fill in if Pope misses out.
Equally, England could look to promote one of the existing members of their XI and bring in another bowler, Shoaib Bashir or a fifth quick. The most likely candidate to step in this scenario is Will Jacks. Jacks was picked for the Brisbane Test as a part-time spinner and to elongate England's batting. He put on a disciplined 96-run partnership with Ben Stokes in the morning of the fourth day in Brisbane, taking England into the lead and scored 41 before he fell to a spectacular catch from Steve Smith.
Nasser Hussain sums up a chastening day three for England at the Gabba.#Ashes #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/TixqPxVGwJ
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 6, 2025
Jamie Smith
Jamie Smith had a nightmare Test in Brisbane with both bat and gloves. He dropped a catch he should have taken off Travis Head early in Australia's first innings, with Head going on to make 30 off the next 17 balls he faced. Other errors from Smith, like leaving an edge from Alex Carey which split him and Joe Root at first slip, were laid all the more bare by Carey's exceptional performance behind the stumps. He was also out for a two-ball duck in the first innings and scored four before he was caught behind off Mitchell Starc in the second. In his last eight Test innings, Smith has now only made it out of single figures twice.
There are several ways England could look to replace Smith, but all of them would mean retaining Pope as the only other keeper in England's squad. While not a specialist, Pope was tidy behind the stumps in Smith's absence in New Zealand last year, and England may reason that given Smith's struggles so far Pope wouldn't do a significantly worse job. Pope would drop down the order, leaving England to either bring in Bethell or promote Jacks. Promoting Jacks would give England room to bring in Bashir or go back to a five-pacer attack. Bringing in Bethell would give England another part-time spin option while leaving them with four pacers.
Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson
England's bowling attack looked unthreatening in Australia's first innings in Brisbane. Brydon Carse, despite picking up four wickets, was marmalised by Head and couldn't find his length. Gus Atkinson was also poor, bowling too short with the new ball and going for more than seven runs an over in Australia's fourth-innings chase. All have played two Tests on the bounce, with the suggestion before the series being that none of the pace attack was likely to play all five Tests. Jofra Archer's workload will also likely be discussed, given his long history of injuries.
England have two unused pacers in their squad, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts. They also have Mark Wood, although Wood said during the second Test that pain in his knee meant Melbourne was a more likely point for him to return to the series. Tongue was favoured to come in for the second Test before England chose a stronger batting balance with Jacks, and he will likely be a straight swap for one of the three pacers from Brisbane.
Potts occupies the bottom rung on England's pace pecking order, but has rarely let the side down when picked, and would add consistency and durability. He has also performed creditably in the tour games he has played so far this tour. However, with a longer gap ahead of the third Test before three back-to-back games, England may save him for rotation in later in the series, and go with what they see as their first-string attack to try and keep the rubber alive.
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