England Told To Pick 'Fantastic' Player After New Ashes Injury Blow

Two-time Ashes winner Steve Harmison has named who he believes England should pick for the second Test in Brisbane after suffering a fresh injury blow.

England went 1-0 down in Perth after Australia chased 205 to win by eight wickets.

But after a gap of 12 days between matches, captain Ben Stokes' side will have had time to reset and refresh by the time the first pink ball is bowled in the day-night Test in Brisbane.

None of the 11 players who played in Perth were sent to Canberra for a two-day match against the Prime Minister's XI.

The two spinners named in the Ashes squad, Shoaib Bashir or Will Jacks, also stayed with the rest of the team, who organised two extra days of practice following the Perth defeat.

But England will have to make at least one change to their XI in Brisbane.

Mark Wood has been ruled out of the Test due to concerns over his left knee, though the seriousness of the problem has not been publicly reported.

Wood, 35, suffered a knee injury during the 2025 Champions Trophy in February, and subsequently underwent surgery.

He subsequently missed the entire English domestic season, despite hopes that he may be able to play for Durham in the final stages of their County Championship campaign.

In fact, the first Test in Perth was his first competitive cricket match in nine months.

Wood suffered from a significant number of back and foot injuries, some of which were exacerbated by the load created from his bowling run-up.

He would eventually adopt a much longer run-up that seemed to lessen the amount of injuries, but has continued to suffer from problems over the years.

If England go for a like-a-like replacement for Wood in terms of pace, they can choose between Josh Tongue or Matthew Potts from the existing squad.

Tongue was England's leading wicket-taker in their five-Test series against India in the summer, and it is thought that his pace and angle variations would be effective on Australian wickets.

The alternative is Potts, who has impressed for the Lions Down Under and took two wickets against the PM's XI last week.

The 27-year-old, from Durham, only took 29 wickets at an average of 42 in the County Championship last season, and hasn't played a Test match since the New Zealand tour last December.

But Potts has impressed when he has played for England, having picked up 36 wickets in 10 Tests, and finds a consistent line and length.

He also has 12 wickets in 11 ODIs - and clean bowled Steve Smith in a home 50-over match last year.

He was described as a 'fantastic competitor' by Stokes in 2022.

And England legend Harmison - who was speaking before news of Wood's latest injury problem - thinks that, had Wood not been injured but Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum decided to make a change regardless, it is Potts that should get the nod over Tongue in Brisbane.

Speaking to SPORTbible on behalf of Grosvenor Sport, official sponsors of England Cricket on TNT Sports, former Durham fast bowler Harmison explained that he would want another seamer to come in rather than a spin option.

He said: "I think he [Potts] is somebody who, you know what you're going to get with Pottsy. He's going to run in all day. He's going to challenge the off stump.

"He might come into question here instead of Mark Wood ... I think I'd punt for Potts over Tongue if it is Mark Wood that comes out of the team.

"But they might be thinking of a spinner as well, because in that middle period, the middle session of a day-night Test match, there's not a lot happening. And that's where your spinner might come into the game.

"Nathan Lyon will definitely come into the game for Australia. And it's whether England feel as though they need a spin bowling option to do that. Is it going to be Jacks? Is it going to be Bashir? We'll wait and see.

"For me, I would keep the same side. But if there is going to be protection of Mark Wood, I think I'd punt for Potts over Josh Tongue."