Jacks gets nod for spin option for the Gabba

WILDCARD Will Jacks has been catapulted into England’s team for the second Ashes Test, with the all-rounder preferred to Shoaib Bashir in Brisbane.

- By RORY DOLLARD

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 which begins on Thursday.

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 backup 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.