Eng vs Aus 3rd ODI – Will Jacks proves his worth after England’s chances dwindled

The pace of Jacks’ innings – 23 off 30 balls after the Powerplay, a half-century on top of 55, and the quickness after taking the returning Mitchell Starc for 14 off four balls in the 23rd over – deserves praise exclusive. Like the rest of Adil Rashid’s teammates, Jacks was learning on the job. This third ODI means that half of the Surrey allrounder’s 32 List A games have come in England and the England Lions. Half of his fifties are four in the way he appeared in this series.

With the bilateral ODI series losing its appeal, and a century dropping the domestic one-day trophy in a flourishing 2nd XI competition, this shoe-horned showdown with Australia is not a complete distraction. Jacks sees it as a welcome opportunity to adapt to the format.

“With the lack of 50-over cricket that we play now, finding tempo can be difficult,” said Jacks. “Ducky and I [Ben Duckett] You got it in the first game but you can get it by spending time in the middle. The position that Brooky and I were in at 11 out of 2, we probably had to dig in and take our time. It shows when you get a partnership how easy it is to exchange strike and get six points over the free.

“The schedule only allows what we allow and that’s for the people above us. We just go where we’re told. I think if you lead a big event you’ll play a lot but, the way TV is now. …that’s beyond our control. If you play together as a team you naturally get back on track when we come back next time , we will be one step ahead.

“A series of five games is great. It’s my first time playing in one. You play an opposition team that gets into a good rhythm, the team gets time together and this squad is growing.”

That Jacks is part of this new era of English white-ball cricket, not least as a designated player after the retirement of Moeen Ali, as well as a balancing allrounder, is not surprising. The surprising thing is that he is now considered part of the solution, even if the timing could not be better as Brendon McCullum takes limited overs in the new year ahead of the Champions Trophy in February.

That is not directly to him. That winter of 2022-23, the ECB sent the Jacks on something of a goose chase. Those two tours to Pakistan were followed by appearances in the SA20s in early 2023, before a Test tour of New Zealand. Not only did he play the game, but he was given to Bangladesh as a reinforcement for the ODI squad, in the series that started after the end of the last Test in Wellington.

That will likely be fixed in the next round of contract agreements, which are due to be approved next week. Jacks replied with a simple “no” when asked if he was aware of the offer from the ECB.

There is really no need to put his case in the newspapers. Since not playing last year, he has gone on to star for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 and RCB in the IPL, with BPL franchise Comilla Victorians in between. Deal or not, Jacks didn’t lack for money or status this cycle.

At least he made the England squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup earlier this summer. The issue in the ECB’s view is that last year’s price is not this year’s price.

Protecting the Jacks’ immediate future will be expensive. But last night, the past week and the past nine months proved that the 25-year-old’s money might be worth it.