It was a breakthrough century for Harry Brook at Chester-le-Street, that sublime unbeaten 110 his first in one-day international cricket and a first against Australia in any format. But the contribution from Will Jacks was not insignificant either, especially given the potential squeeze when some of England’s big guns return.
Striking 84 from 82 balls as Brook’s rookie side dragged the one-day series back to 2-1 down with two to play, Jacks took the attack to Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood despite England’s troubling start that left them 11 for two. The right-hander now has four half-centuries from his first 10 ODIs and, given the quality of those two seamers and England’s precarious situation, he understandably rated it as his best.
But there is a logjam on the horizon. While Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali were clearly dropped for this series – the latter calling time on his international career – England gave a heavy steer that Joe Root was simply being rested before the Test tour of Pakistan that departs next week. Come the tour of India next January and the Champions Trophy that follows, England’s master batter is expected to return at No 3, the spot Jacks is currently occupying.
“Who knows what’s going to happen there?” said Jacks, who has also opened and batted at No 6 during his short ODI career. “Rooty is England’s best ever batter in 50-over cricket, you can’t say any more about what he does. What will be will be. I just have to try and win games when I can. [Tuesday] was nice and I’d like to have a few more of those but I’ll just do as well as I can.”
Things certainly feel experimental for England’s white-ball team this side of Christmas as they await the start of Brendon McCullum’s all-format role and an easing of the schedule. Tours continue to rub up against each other before then, offering opportunities for the next generation but making it tricky for the management to establish their first-choice 50-over side before the Champions Trophy in February.
Jos Buttler is due to resume the captaincy for the tour of the Caribbean in November after his calf-injury – his place in the XI is not in question, even if his leadership remains so – while Ben Stokes has said he will answer the white-ball call if McCullum is on the other end of the line. The allure of Root is pretty obvious, even if the last of his England-record 16 ODI centuries came at the 2019 World Cup.
Equally, there is an imperative to get 50-over games into the likes of Jacks with all three of those mentioned now in their 30s and the next World Cup in 2027.
With English cricket having followed the win in 2019 by relegating the One Day Cup to second-tier status through the introduction of the Hundred, bilateral ODIs have become now essential for player development; a chance to groove an unfamiliar tempo.
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Jacks, 25, is one of a number in the current squad to sum up the situation, having tasted two seasons of 50-over cricket for Surrey, in 2018 and 2019 – and then nothing until his ODI debut in Bangladesh last year. The 121 from 100 balls he cracked against Gloucestershire, aged 19, remains his only List A century. In line with the demands of TV, England have also cut the volume of ODI cricket they play, with this visit by Australia their first five-match series since 2019.
“With the lack of 50-over cricket that we play now, finding the tempo can be difficult,” said Jacks. “The schedule only allows what it allows and that is for people above us, we just go where we’re told. I think when you’re leading up to a major event you are going to play more [50-over cricket] but with the way TV is now [and the trend towards international and domestic T20] that is out of our control.
“A five-match series is nice. It’s the first time I’ve played in one. You get in a nice rhythm, the team gets time together and this squad is growing. We’re progressing every game and hopefully when we come back next time we’ll be one step further.”
