England names Will Jacks as deputy spinner for Ashes in tactical plan

England named Will Jacks as Shoaib Bashir’s deputy for the Ashes, a decision described by managing director Rob Key as tactical as much as a replacement. The move underscores two realities: England do not expect the urn to be won by their slow bowlers, and county cricket has struggled to produce world-class spinners.

Jacks has bowled 74.1 red-ball overs for Surrey this season, taking five wickets at 38. He barely qualifies as a true part-time option. England weighed several alternatives for Bashir’s understudy, including 21-year-old Leicestershire leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, Hampshire left-armer Liam Dawson, and Somerset’s Jack Leach, but inexperience or form counted against them. Key framed the decision as part of a broader plan rather than a straightforward replacement, noting that Jacks is a tactical addition designed to cover multiple bases on tour in Australia.

On the whole, we’re expecting the spinners to do a bit more of a holding role, potentially winning a game on the last day,” Key said. “It’s going to be down to the seamers and batters to get the wickets and runs.” England have loaded their 16-man squad with pace options and will be able to call on reinforcements from the Lions party who will be in Australia at the same time. And if Jacks really is needed as a second spinner, it could suggest Australia has prepared a turning pitch, where Nathan Lyon—already with 562 Test wickets—would be ready to pounce.

The selectors have shown a willingness to think outside the box before. For the tour to India last year, they plucked Lancashire slow left-armer Tom Hartley from county cricket because they believed his ability to drive the ball into the surface from a tall frame would suit those pitches. Hartley fulfilled that logic, helping England win the first Test in Hyderabad and finishing the series as their leading wicket-taker with 22.

Jacks, similarly, has a track record that editors say makes him a plausible fit for Australia’s venues. He has been taken note of for performances like his six for 161 in Rawalpindi against Pakistan in December 2022, and seven for 129 at Trent Bridge against Nottinghamshire on a surface that favored bowlers using a Kookaburra ball—the same ball expected to be used in Australia. Yet the room for interpretation remains large; the same 26-year-old is also an explosive batsman and a potential No. 7 option who can contribute with the bat as well as the ball.

We think he’s someone who’s not going to be overawed by the occasion, and the extra pace and bounce you get over there,” Key said. “He’s just a really handy option to have for the different things we might come up against. We’ve looked at the spinners as well and we feel for this role out there that covers a number of bases, Will Jacks is the best man for the job.”

If Jacks is not used as a frontline spinner, his impact could come more with bat than ball. The plan appears to hinge on the quicks delivering most of the wickets and the lower order providing stability with the bat, a scenario in which Jacks’s versatility is viewed as an asset.

Jacks’s selection also reflects his relationship with Harry Brook, the new Test vice-captain, and the wider leadership group that has been driving a refreshed approach under Brendon McCullum. The squad’s make-up—heavy on fast bowlers with the option of spinning depth if required—signals a deliberate hedging strategy: prepare for several possible matchups and conditions, rather than pinning all hopes on Bashir alone.

Generally, you want someone there who gets over-spin, a bit of bounce,” Key admitted, before adding with a wry note about Jacks’s development: “Will Jacks isn’t the finished article.” At 26, he has time to grow into the role, and the tour offers a platform to demonstrate his ability to balance an aggressive batting approach with a pragmatic bowling plan.

If Australia had prepared a turning pitch, the presence of a capable second spinner would be a literal lottery ticket for England. Instead, the decision appears to be a calculated gamble: use Jacks as a flexible option who could chip in with a defensively minded spell to complement the pace battery, while relying on the top-order and middle-order batsmen to anchor the innings and convert starts into match-winning scores.

In short, the Jacks appointment is a measured component of England’s Ashes strategy: not a surprise move, but a signal that the mentors running English cricket are prepared to adapt to the realities of modern Test cricket—where the strength in depth beneath the top order and the ability to tailor plans to specific venues can matter as much as star power with the ball. The coming months will determine whether the approach yields the results England seek in Australia.