Jacks gets chance to show he can be the next Moeen

All-rounder could become more than a 'horses for courses' one-off Ashes pick. By Cameron Ponsonby

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The most important part of making a long-term plan is being willing to change it.

For almost two years, England have been moulding the inexperienced Shoaib Bashir into the image of the spinner they wanted for an Ashes tour Down Under. But now, when push has come to shove, they have picked the part-time spinner Will Jacks.

"We tried to look at how we thought spin was going to be used," captain Ben Stokes said of Jacks's selection for the second Test ahead of Bashir. "And there was a bit of a tactical element to it. Obviously Jacksy's ability with the bat down the order is useful to us as well."

With England's second Test a day-night affair at the Gabba, the broad consensus is that while spin will play some role across the Test, it won't be significant. A scenario that gave England a choice. Pick Bashir, who they consider the better spinner, or pick Jacks, who offers less with the ball, but extends the batting lineup at No8 and is a superior fielder. They picked Jacks.

"If it ever comes down to picking our best, No1 spinner, selection would have gone the other way," Stokes said.