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England recall Jacks and abandon all-out pace
The Guardian
|December 03, 2025
Will Jacks will make his third Test appearance, and his first in 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.
With this selection the tourists are abandoning 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 lineup 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 last year.
Shoaib Bashir is established as England's preferred spinner, and has played 19 Tests since Jacks was last picked, but he is both a lesser batter and less reliable in the field. Jacks's selection means Jofra Archer is the only member of the England team not to have scored a first-class hundred.
This story is from the December 03, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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