England have announced their playing XI for the third Test of the Ashes 2025-26 series against Australia in Adelaide, slated to begin on December 17. Notably, the first-choice England spinner for Ashes, Shoaib Bashir, has again been excluded from the XI, which has sparked a debate in the cricket fraternity. The visitors will look to win the game and keep the series alive, while Australia have an opportunity to secure three successive wins and retain the urn. Let’s take a look at how Bashir’s exclusion from the England squad for Adelaide Test could be a wrong move by the Ben Stokes-led side.
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Adelaide’s Surface Will Assist Spinners
Prior to the third Test, Adelaide Oval head curator Damian Hough has expressed his confidence that the pitch would be helpful for the spinners. According to him, the spin plays an important part in the game, and he is an avid believer in having the presence of tweakers on the surface prepared by him. The recent Sheffield Shield 2025-26 games at the venue have also witnessed the spinners coming to the party in consistent intervals. They have secured crucial breakthroughs to put the opposition under pressure.
⬅️ Gus Atkinson
➡️ Josh TongueWe’ve made one change to our starting XI for the third Test in Adelaide 📋
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 15, 2025
The temperature in Adelaide is also expected to touch the high 30s on the second day, which puts major emphasis on the spinners playing a key role in the game. Meanwhile, Adelaide has long been regarded as the best batting wicket in Australia. The pacers usually extract help with the new ball, and then the spinners can find significant purchase as the game progresses.
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Reasons Behind England Overlooking Shoaib Bashir
According to head coach Brendon McCullum, the England squad for Adelaide test will enjoy batting at the venue. McCullum opined that scoring runs on the surface will be comparatively easier than pitches at Perth and Gabba. The comments from the former Kiwi batter give an idea about why the part-timer Will Jacks has been preferred over Shoaib Bashir.
England have named their team for the must-win third Ashes test 🦁
There’s one change as Josh Tongue replaces fellow pace bowler Gus Atkinson, but spinner Shoaib Bashir is overlooked, despite spin likely to play an important role in Adelaide 🔄 pic.twitter.com/CHp044iUDr
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) December 15, 2025
Bashir was promoted as the top England spinner for Ashes after his impressive performances in the home series against India. Despite not being a frontline slow bowler for his county, Somerset, captain Ben Stokes and McCullum felt the 22-year-old had the qualities to succeed in Australia. In particular, Bashir’s high release point and the ability to extract bounce were the major reasons behind him getting support from the team management. Earlier this month, Stokes hailed Bashir as his No. 1 spinner, but stressed that the conditions and the team balance have influenced the youngster’s non-selection in the XI.
Unsatisfied Performance Against Australia A
However, after the statement, Shoaib Bashir returned with figures of 0 for 115 after bowling 25 overs for the England Lions against Australia A. As a result, he might have lost the trust of the team management to be chosen as the England spinner for the ongoing Ashes. Bashir’s participation in the remaining Ashes series is doubtful after he was excluded from the England squad for Adelaide test, which is the most spin-friendly surface in the country.
One change for @englandcricket for the 3rd Test in Adelaide.
Josh Tongue comes into the side in place of Gus Atkinson.
Will Jacks stays in the team, so no recall for Shoaib Bashir. #bbccricket #Ashes pic.twitter.com/CfQ4BwCiJT
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) December 15, 2025
On the other hand, spinner Nathan Lyon has made a comeback to the Australian side for the third Test and is expecting a helpful surface for him in Adelaide. He has secured the most Test wickets (63) by a bowler at the venue. Jacks’ inclusion in the XI is a move by the England team management to have a deeper batting line-up. Interestingly, the right-hander has attained success as an opener in white-ball cricket.
The second Test in Gabba saw Will Jacks batting at No. 8 and returning with knocks of 19 & 41. The latter innings helped the tourists to avoid an innings loss, as they set up a low target of 65, which was chased by Australia. With the ball, the right-arm spinner bowled 11.3 overs and conceded 34 runs, while taking a solitary wicket of Brendan Doggett. To sum it up, Shoaib Bashir has yet to feature as an England spinner for Ashes due to the pace-friendly pitches and the team management’s decision to include batting all-rounder Will Jacks in the XI.
Few Issues Still in the England Squad for Adelaide Test
England have announced the inclusion of Josh Tongue in place of Gus Atkinson for the third Test. However, there has been no change in the batting unit. AlthoughEngland possesses a talented batting line-up, they have been bundled out for 172, 164, 334, and 241 in the series so far. Only one of the batters, Joe Root, holds an average of over 30.
“He’ll be there to take wickets and be that attacking threat.”
Steven Finn is backing Josh Tongue to make his mark in Adelaide after coming into England’s team for the third Ashes Test. pic.twitter.com/G67POvjlxW
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) December 15, 2025
Despite registering scores of 46, 33, 0, & 26, Ollie Pope has been trusted yet again to save the ship for England in the most important game of the series. Meanwhile, keeper Jamie Smith has failed badly, with only 52 runs at an average of 13. The talented young batter, Jacob Bethell, is warming up the benches for the England side. However, he will have to wait for some more time before he plays his debut Test in Australia. Brendon McCullum has backed his under-fire players heading into the Adelaide Test. It will be interesting to see if Ben Stokes and other batters can rise to the occasion and get back to form.
