SYDNEY: England all-rounder Chris Woakes will have scans on a sore side on Wednesday and is doubtful for the fifth and final Ashes test against Australia, British media reported.

Woakes's injury increases the likelihood that leg spinner Mason Crane will make his debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Thursday and might also mean a reprieve for out-of-form all-rounder Moeen Ali.

England have already relinquished the Ashes after losing the first three tests of the series but captain Joe Root said the tourists would not be handing out test caps in Sydney willy nilly as they did at the end of the 2013-14 whitewash.

"I want us to be the best side in the world, and it's not going to happen overnight," he said. "And it's not going to happen by chucking guys in for the last game of a series."

-reuters