England have included batting all-rounder Will Jacks as the only change to their lineup for the crucial day-night second Test against Australia at the Gabba, which starts on Thursday.
The 27-year-old comes in for Mark Wood, who suffered discomfort in his knee after bowling 11 overs in the two-day defeat at Perth Stadium last month. It will be Jacks’ first Test in three years, and only his fourth first-class match this calendar year.
The Surrey player will come in at No 8, bolstering England’s batting line up, but will also offer a spin option with his off-break bowling. While pace bowler Josh Tongue had been mooted as a replacement for Wood, England have decided against a five-man seam attack with Jacks effectively preferred to Shoaib Bashir, who was named in the 12-man squad for Perth but now misses out for a second time this series.
Both Bashir and Jacks bowled long spells at captain Ben Stokes during England’s training session at the Gabba on Monday in what appeared to be an audition for the final place in the XI.
Jacks is a noted white-ball performer in international and franchise cricket. He has gained 60 caps for England across formats, and enjoyed stints at Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League in the last two years. He has also played in Australia for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.
His Test career to date amounts to two matches on England’s tour of Pakistan in 2022, where he claimed a maiden five-wicket haul — 6-161 — on debut in Rawalpindi.
Will Jacks bowls during in the nets at the Gabba (Robbie Stephenson/PA Images via Getty Images)
Asked on Tuesday whether spin could play a role in the upcoming pink-ball match at Brisbane’s Gabba ahead of the final XI announcement, Stokes told the gathered reporters he thought it “definitely” would.
“Talking about the tactical element of a day-night game, you do try to look at Australia,” he said. “They play a lot of day-night cricket here. How they use their spinner as an attacking option, or more to get through the overs quicker to have more time with the new ball under lights — there’s both those elements to consider how a spinner is used in a day-night game.”
“Everyone knows what a brilliant cricketer he is,” said Jacks’ Surrey and England team-mate, Ollie Pope. “The way he’s grown over the last few years, we’ve seen his white-ball game really go forward. It’s a great opportunity for his red-ball (game), too.
“He’s obviously got that style of spin bowling where he can get some bounce and turn off the pitch, then everyone has seen the skills he’s got in the white-ball format. He can take on a really good attack.”
Bashir’s omission is a blow for the young spinner, who has not featured in any competitive cricket since breaking his finger in the third Test against India in July — a match in which he showcased his commitment to the cause by fielding with the injury before going on to pick up the final wicket of Mohammed Siraj as England won a nailbiter at Lord’s.
Coach Brendon McCullum said he expected Bashir, 22, to play a big role in the series but that must now be in doubt after being usurped in the pecking order by Jacks.
Asked about Australia’s impressive record at the Gabba, Pope was bullish when speaking to assorted Australian and UK media.
“We know they (Australia) have a good record here but at the same time they certainly haven’t been unbeatable here, as we’ve seen,” said Pope, with Australia’s only pink-ball defeat in 14 floodlit Tests came having come at the venue against the West Indies in 2024.
“We’ll use the crowd, we know the pitch conditions and we’ve played a few pink-ball games, too. It’s just trying not to think too much about the history of it in terms of this venue and this ground, and making sure we put our skills forward.”