White-ball series tagged on to the schedule at the end of September, outside of World Cup years, often fit into one of two categories.
They either give England’s white-ball hitters a chance to gear up for a World Cup after Tests took the prime-time spot. Or, they’re afterthoughts, increasing the volume of international matches but often with depleted squads as the top brass rest ahead of winter tours. England’s September series against South Africa, however, doesn’t fit neatly into either of those two boxes.
There’s a T20 World Cup in six months’ time, but the Ashes mountain sits in between now and then as the primary objective. Equally, England actually have a fairly clear idea of what their best T20I side is, with fine-tuning needed rather than musical chairs for places in the squad. Time is also on their side. The series against Ireland won’t feature some of their core Test players, but they’ll likely be back for three matches in New Zealand before the Ashes, and in Sri Lanka a month before the World Cup.
Perhaps there’s greater meaning in the ODI series. In the build-up to the 2023 World Cup, England rushed through their prep coming off an Ashes series and having assumed their 50-over squad would take care of itself following their 2019 triumph. They paid a heavy price, and if those lessons weren’t learned before their Champions Trophy disaster, this time, the road to 2027 has to start here.
South Africa started their own march towards a home World Cup last week, beating the world champions Australia in their own backyard. Having thrown the ICC tournament demons off their back at Lord’s, and made the semi-finals of 2023 edition, as well as the last T20 World Cup final, they’ll likely go into next edition as one of the favourites, and have selected a frontline squad for this series. For England, it’s a rare opportunity to play a full strength side out of a World Cup year. A good base for this cycle was established against the West Indies earlier in the summer. Harry Brook was able to stamp his mark on the side, and the winter blues were blown away with some hard and fast results. Now, they must find success beyond the scoreline.
One of the key questions following the Champions Trophy was who would open alongside Ben Duckett. That was answered by Jamie Smith, despite his own difficulties in the top order in Pakistan. He showed a flash of being what England hoped Phil Salt could be in the 50-over format against West Indies, hitting an explosive 64 off 28 balls at The Oval. Now he must kick on, not only to fulfill England’s vision for his all-format future, but to establish a greater depth to his ODI repertoire.
So far, he’s gone out with a clear intent to whack it from the outset. Given what he’s shown he’s capable of in the Test arena, both able to punch back and adapt to different situations, it can feel as if his current ODI approach doesn't make best use of him. Perhaps that’s down to how little he’s played in the format, but that’s something all England players of his generation will have to overcome. The Test century he scored at Edgbaston in less than a session drew out the Gilchrist comparisons, but to truly embody that likeness in 50-over cricket, he must discover a greater range.
Will Jacks is also someone Smith has outpaced in the top-order gaggle. But while Salt has found himself out of the 50-over side, Jacks was given a new role straight into the Moeen Ali mould at No.7 against West Indies. With Jacob Bethell at No.5 and the door seemingly now closed on Liam Livingstone, Jacks has arguably the toughest job in the side. “Imagine getting us five down and Will Jacks comes out to bat,” was Brook’s excitable backing after Jacks scored an important 49 which got England over the line against West Indies in Cardiff. That sentence could have been copied and pasted to apply to Livingstone or Bethell when he was first selected against Australia last year.
17* (17) ➡️ 100* (41)
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 28, 2024
Will Jacks, that was seriously special! 🤯#IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/8SjmN0EWC4
However, balancing the tightrope of counter-attacking and getting the job done always at a crucial stage of the game amplifies every mistake made. This series is an opportunity for Jacks to shut that revolving door. Waiting just beyond the door is Rehan Ahmed, knocking ever louder with every Championship century and Hundred wicket. His summer evolution into a fully fledged all-rounder has given him scope beyond being Adil Rashid’s heir apparent, and as soon as the opportunity arises he’ll likely be given an extended run in the side.
There are also other, less evolved threads to play out. Sonny Baker’s selection gives him an opportunity to show he’s ready for international honours after his rapid rise through the ranks. There’s also the Ashes question, whether he can use the South Africa series as a springboard into England’s Australia-bound squad. If so, he’ll also have elevated himself above some of the quicks in the ODI group.
Despite all those plotlines, there are two full years between now and the next World Cup, and five ODI series scheduled in the next 12 months alone. The positioning of this series, however, and the point it falls in Brook’s captaincy, means what happens in the next couple of weeks will set the course for 2027. It’s worth paying close attention to.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
