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Off-spinning all-rounder Will Jacks was a surprise selection for the Ashes and is now thrust into the lineup for the day/night Test in Brisbane ahead of Shoaib Bashir
Rory DollardTuesday 02 December 2025 07:28 GMTComments
open image in galleryWill Jacks will start for England in the second Test (Getty Images)
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Wildcard Will Jacks has been catapulted into England’s team for the second Ashes Test, with the all-rounder preferred to Shoaib Bashir to face Australia in Brisbane.
Jacks, who made two Test appearances on the turning tracks of Pakistan three years ago and has been used exclusively in limited-overs cricket ever since, was a surprise selection for the tour but has now been thrust into a crucial day/night clash at the Gabba.
With paceman Mark Wood out injured, the tourists were always going to make one change to the team beaten in two days at Perth and preferred a slow bowling option over back-up seamers Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts.
Bashir has been England’s favoured spinner for most of the last two years, taking 68 wickets in 19 appearances while never managing to shed his tag as a work in progress.
The 22-year-old was the spare man in a squad of 12 for the first Test but has been squeezed out by the broader appeal of Jacks, who offers vastly superior batting and sharper fielding.
His off-breaks are very much an added string to his bow but both he and Bashir bowled at Stokes under lights during Monday evening’s net session and the 27-year-old did enough to get the nod.
open image in galleryShoaib Bashir (right) has been left out for the second Test in a row (AFP via Getty Images)Jacks also did his cause no harm in the pre-series warm-up at Lilac Hill, turning out for the England Lions side and picking up the wickets of Stokes, Joe Root and Harry Brook.
He took 6-161 from 40.3 overs on Test debut in Multan but was used sparingly in his next three three innings and did not add to that initial haul. Last summer he played only three first-class matches for Surrey, taking five wickets at an average of 38.80.
Speaking about the desire to add a spinner to his attack before the team announcement, Stokes admitted the role Nathan Lyon has played in floodlit games for the hosts was a factor.
“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, (you can see) how they use their spinner as an attacking option or to give the bowlers an easier rotation and to get through the overs quicker to have more time with the new ball under lights.”
open image in galleryWill Jacks offers a spin option but also extends the batting lineup (Robbie Stephenson/PA Wire)England’s strong suit remains their seam unit and keeping Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Stokes himself fresh and firing is likely to be his primary purpose. When it comes to England’s batting, he brings a wide range of attacking strokes and four first-class centuries to the number eight spot.
Explaining the decision to draft Jacks out of leftfield when the original squad was announced, managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key said: “He isn’t the finished article as a spinner but he’s someone who might be able to hold an end up if we’re thinking spinners aren’t going to be the ones that define the series.
“It’s his ability to bat too, we think he’s someone who’s not going to be overawed by the occasion, or by the extra pace and bounce you get over there.”
Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the Test with the back injury that curtailed his involvement in the first Test.
Travis Head is set to continue at the top of the order after his match-winning century as a stand-in, with Beau Webster and Josh Inglis vying for Khawaja’s place in the XI.
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