The Ashes 2025/26: England pick Josh Tongue in place of Gus Atkinson in only change for must-win third Test in Adelaide

England have made one change to their line-up for the crucial third Ashes Test, with Josh Tongue replacing Gus Atkinson for the side's must-win Adelaide match.

That means Surrey all-rounder Will Jacks retains his place as the designated spinner, with no place again for Shoaib Bashir.

Atkinson has been dropped after managing just three wickets at an average of 78.66, with fellow seamer Tongue returning to the line-up.

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Tongue was England's top wicket-taker against India in the summer and took five in his only previous Ashes Test at Lord's in 2023, when he dismissed Steve Smith in each innings.

Brendon McCullum's side are 2-0 down in the five-match series against Australia after slumping to eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane, although an often batter-friendly Adelaide Oval surface could help the tourists fight back when the next game begins on Wednesday.

Speaking on Sunday about the likely inclusion of Tongue, the England head coach said: "Everyone knows what he brings: high pace, hits the wicket hard from a fuller length, can swing and reverse swing the ball. If that's what we deem is going to be most successful, then he'll get a run."

Stokes: I know Bashir will be disappointed

Bashir - currently without a county contract after his deal at Somerset expired - bowls with a high release point and can extract bounce from the surface but has been overlooked again, despite England's faith in the bowler over recent years centred around this particular series.

On the spinner, who has struggled in warm-up matches on tour, captain Ben Stokes said: "It's going to be disappointing for Bash. We just feel having [Jacks] down at No 8 strengthens our batting a little bit.

The emotional thing would be that Bashir deserves to come in, he is the one they have built up. But you have to say who is your better spinner come Wednesday? It is going to be 38 degrees on Thursday, it should spin, there are footmarks from Mitchell Starc, so who is bowling better? Is Jacks bowling better spin? That is the only decision.

"We've had to make some big decisions and big calls over recent times to get the team that we felt was going to give us the best chance and that's what we've gone with.

"We're 2-0 down and we're trying to give ourselves the best chance with bat and ball."

Temperatures in Adelaide this week are expected to near 40 degrees and Australia appear certain to recall their chief spinner Nathan Lyon after he was left out of the day-nighter in Brisbane.

England keep faith with batting line-up

Meanwhile, as McCullum had suggested on Sunday, England will field an unchanged top-seven batting line-up for a Test they must win to have any hope of regaining the Ashes over the remainder of the series.

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Ollie Pope fell to two maddening dismissals in the pink-ball game at The Gabba in the second Test - chopping on to his stumps playing with an angled bat in the first innings and then caught and bowled attempting an unwise drive in the second - but the No 3 retains his place ahead of Jacob Bethell.

Only Joe Root is averaging over 30 after the first two Ashes Tests, but McCullum said: "These conditions [in Adelaide] should suit the style of batters that we've got.

"We know we haven't got enough runs so far in this series. We've been in positions where we could have and made some mistakes.

"But it's not about throwing out what has been successful for us over the last few years. It's about having more conviction. Knee-jerk reactions or chopping and changing settled batting line-ups is not really our way."

Tributes paid to Bondi Beach terror attack victims

Following training at the Adelaide Oval on Monday, Australia and England players both paid tributes to the victims of Sunday's terror attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney, in which 15 people died.

England are due to visit Sydney at the start of January for the fifth Ashes Test and issued a statement of support following the attack.

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"Everyone in the England Cricket team is deeply saddened by the horrific events at Bondi Beach yesterday evening," it read.

"Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends at this deeply distressing time. We stand alongside the people of Sydney, the Jewish community and our heartfelt condolences go to all those affected."

England vice-captain Harry Brook added: "It was a horrendous day for everybody involved on Bondi Beach. We are really thinking about them and the horrific incidents that happened.

"We support them all the way through and we're just extremely sorry for what happened."

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon added: "We're extremely saddened. A horrific day for everyone involved and we stand by them. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, we're thinking of them and hopefully they can get through this."

Ashes series in Australia 2025-26

Australia lead five-match series 2-0

• First Test (Perth): Australia beat England by eight wickets
• Second Test (Brisbane): Australia beat England by eight wickets
• Third Test: Wednesday December 17 - Sunday December 21 (Adelaide)
• Fourth Test: Friday December 26 - Tuesday December 30 (Melbourne)
• Fifth Test: Sunday January 4 - Thursday January 8 (Sydney)