🔗 Share this article Paceman Atkinson Compounds the English team's Fitness Worries. 'Major setback' for the touring side after Atkinson goes off with a hamstring injury. The pace bowler added to the injury concerns plaguing England when he left the playing area during Saturday's play of the Boxing Day Test in the Ashes series. The pace bowler felt a problem in his left leg immediately following a delivery of the fourth over on Saturday. Team management indicated Atkinson felt some "soreness" and was to take time off the field in order to be assessed "over the next few hours". The concluding match of the tour in Sydney begins at the end of the week. The English side has already lost strike bowlers Mark Wood due to knee trouble and another paceman because of a side injury during this series. A replacement bowler was brought into the squad to provide backup. The seamer had a tough time in the opening two Tests, managing only three wickets. He was dropped of the third Test, only to be brought back for the fourth Test in the playing XI. The county bowler showed better form in Melbourne, claiming a couple of wickets with the ball, before adding 28 with the bat among just a trio of England players to get into double digits. After bowling one over at the end of day one, he returned the next day and removed Scott Boland Scott Boland caught behind. Unfortunately, towards the conclusion of that over, he sent down a variation to the batsman and immediately felt his left hamstring. Gus Atkinson was brought back for the Melbourne match following his omission of the third.