Will Jacks will make his third Test appearance, and his first for nearly three years, as England attempt to level the Ashes at the Gabba after replacing the injured Mark Wood in the only change to the team that lost the series opener in Perth.
The move sees the tourists abandon the all-out pace attack that bundled Australia out for 132 in their first innings of the opening Test – and was then pummelled by Travis Head in their second – in favour of deepening their batting line-up and adding a spin-bowling option. The decision followed analysis of recent day-night games, including the role Nathan Lyon has played in his pink ball outings as well as Kevin Sinclair’s success for West Indies when they became the first and only team to beat Australia in a floodlit match, in Brisbane at the start of last year.
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Asked about the potential impact of spin on this week’s game, captain Ben Stokes said: “You do try to look at Australia. They play a lot of day-night cricket here. [You look at] 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.”
Though Shoaib Bashir is established as England’s preferred spinner, and has played 19 Tests since Jacks won his second cap against Pakistan in Multan in December 2022, Jacks is both a much more able batter and more reliable in the field. The 27-year-old’s selection leaves Jofra Archer as the only member of the England team not to have scored a first-class hundred, while the decision not to replace Wood with the more like-for-like options of Matt Potts or, more likely, Josh Tongue still leaves the side with four seam bowlers in Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Stokes himself.
Australia have not yet announced their side, amid uncertainty over the fitness of Usman Khawaja and speculation that Pat Cummins, who has again impressed in the nets this week, may make a shock return from back injury.
England team: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
