The 27-year-old’s nod ahead of Shoaib Bashir was about batting depth (with a spin option), and this is his moment to affirm that decision. Still, it’s his first Test in three years and a lot to take on under this level of pressure.
For now, he and Stokes are staying conservative as Boland and Starc do their best to wipe them out quickly.
Tom Decent and Andrew Wu wrote about Jacks earlier this week as a “safe selection”:
England have gone against their ultra-aggressive “Bazball” instincts by making a surprising – but conservative – call at the selection table for the second Ashes Test at the Gabba and promising more circumspect shot selection when their time comes at the batting crease.
Batting all-rounder Will Jacks was called into the XI when the team was named on Tuesday, two days before the first ball is bowled. He will fill the vacancy created by the injury to paceman Mark Wood.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan says the selection of Jacks, who can bowl useful part-time off-spin, over frontline off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was an indication of the concern the visitors hold over their batting depth.
“England need the runs,” Vaughan, a commentator for Kayo this summer, told this masthead. “The one area they fail in Test cricket, that batting unit doesn’t get enough runs. I think that England unit want a few more runs, from what I hear.
“It’s a very unlike Bazball move. They’ve backed Shoaib Bashir for three years for this moment. That tells you a lot about what’s going on there.”
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Will Jacks runs out for day four at the Gabba.Credit: Getty Images