Will Jacks has been selected in England's XI for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, and will make his first appearance in a Test match for three years.
Jacks will come into the XI at the expense of Mark Wood, meaning that England will have three specialist quicks in Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer, as well as Ben Stokes to make up their bowling attack alongside Jacks' part-time spin. He is also the sole spin option in the XI, aside from Joe Root's part-time off-spin, with England opting for the extra batting depth he brings over the specialist spinner in Shoaib Bashir.
The Surrey right-hander was a surprise pick in England's Ashes squad, having not been included in a Test squad since the winter of 2022. He made his debut at Rawalpindi in the first Test of England's 2022 tour of Pakistan, and took six wickets in his first innings – his maiden five-wicket-haul in first-class cricket. Since his last Test cap, Jacks has played 14 first-class matches for Surrey, five of which have come in the last two years.
Why have England selected Jacks over Wood or another pacer?
England went with an all-out pace attack in the first Test in Perth, with both Wood and Archer fit and firing. However, the Perth Test was Wood's first competitive match in almost nine months after he picked up a knee injury in March, following a back injury he sustained in August 2024. Wood said before the second Test that he would "definitely not play all five" Ashes Tests, and has already undergone scans on his hamstring on this tour. He bowled only 11 overs across the two innings in the Perth Test, which lasted just under two days.
With Wood being held back, England had the option of bringing in another specialist pacer. Josh Tongue would have been the favourite, with Matthew Potts the other bowling reserve in the group. Given that Brisbane will be a pink-ball Test, playing an all-pace attack again looked to be the most obvious option. However, Jacks was given the nod.
Speaking on his reasoning for picking Jacks, Ben Stokes said today: "They play a lot of day-night cricket here [in Australia], how they use their spinner as an attacking option, or more to give the bowlers an easier rotation and to get through the overs quicker to have more time with the new ball under lights. There's both those elements we will consider with how a spinner is to be used in a day/night game."
Aside from likely being used primarily to provide rotation between the pacers in oppressive Queensland heat, what Jacks offers with the bat is more important. England collapsed twice in Perth, most disastrously from 64-1 in the second innings to 164. Jacks will bat at No.8 behind Jamie Smith, deepening their order and providing an attacking presence to bat with the tail. In one of the three first-class games Jacks played for Surrey this year, he scored 119 off 94 balls from No.6.
Why have England selected Jacks over Bashir or Bethell?
Jacks' selection marks a significant point in Bashir's career, having been England's No.1 spinner since his debut in India in 2024. Despite questions over his inclusion, Bashir has been backed to the hilt by the Stokes-McCullum leadership, with his high release point and natural attributes prioritised. He missed the final two Tests against India last summer with injury, but this is the first time since his debut he has been left out for another spinner.
However, the balance of England's XI for Australian conditions is largely behind Bashir's exclusion. England likely see the impact of whatever spinner they play in Brisbane being minimal, thus negating the importance of whether that spinner is a specialist like Bashir or a part-timer like Jacks. In Jacks, they have a spinner who can allow their pacers to rotate, while also giving them a dynamic lower-order batter.
Perhaps more significant is Jacks' selection over Bethell. Bethell has been England's next batter in since he made his Test debut in New Zealand last year. However, he failed to impress when picked at the end of the summer, and didn't take his chance in the England warm-up game or for the Lions during the Perth Test. Given Bethell is another part-time spinner capable of batting lower down the order, Jacks' inclusion over him could mark a change in where he stands in England's pecking order.
What happened the last time Jacks played a Test match?
Jacks was selected for the first overseas tour of the Bazball era, in a surprising move then as well as England selected him and Liam Livingstone as spin bowling all-rounders to operate alongside Jack Leach. The line of thinking reflected the batting-friendly surfaces which, at that time, were prevalent in Pakistan. Jacks debuted in the opening Test in Rawalpindi and scored 30 in the first innings when England memorably scored 657 before lunch on day two. He took seven wickets in the game, mainly accounting for Pakistan's tail as they slogged their way through.
He was retained for the second Test in Multan – one of England's most memorable Test wins – but bowled just four overs in each innings. He came in at No.3 in England's second innings, but was dismissed after facing just four balls.
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