ECB did not inform Will Jacks that he was not awarded a central contract; he claimed, “I just ended up seeing it on Twitter like everyone else.”
Jacks, 25, surprised everyone by missing out on the ECB’s list of 29 players who received contract offers despite having played for England in all three formats over the last 12 months.
Jacks remarked, “It was a bit of a difficult one,” the night before England’s first ODI match against the West Indies. “I honestly learned nothing at all. I waited in the hopes that I would learn the truth, but I never did. I knew that everyone was listening. It was sad that I was unable to see it on Twitter like everyone else. I had hoped to have one.”
Jacks has contracts to play in the SA20 in January and the IPL in March, demonstrating his great demand on the T20 franchise circuit. Jacks may now chose his winter obligations as he works toward his first aim of reaching the 2024 World Cup squad, so the omission has been a double-edged sword.
“The last two World Cup years I’ve just narrowly missed out on selection, so making the World Cup squad is a massive goal of mine and playing T20 cricket in South Africa against some of the best players will be perfect for that.”
The challenge for England and Jacks is that the SA20 series coincides with England’s Test series against India. With his explosive ball skills and his impressive exploits in Pakistan the previous year, Jacks would probably be selected for the squad, if not the playing XI.
Jacks responded, “I wouldn’t say it’s changed my motivation to play for England,” when asked if the rejection had caused him to rearrange his priorities. “I want to play as much as I can, and England is undoubtedly the best, but it has controlled my ambitions.
“It’s evident that everyone has had the India Test matches on their minds lately—it’s such a big series, and there’s all this talk about spin, the necessity for all-rounders, and having a deep squad. Therefore, it’s likely simply a matter of my thinking, “Well, if they wanted to pick me, then realistically, I would have been given a contract,” instead of believing that I would be chosen. Thus, it probably says something that they haven’t offered me one.”
That being said, Jacks is most definitely wanted right now. He will open in all three ODIs alongside Phil Salt, as confirmed by Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott, who want to give their high-risk, high-reward openers every chance to succeed.
According to Jacks, “that [backing] is huge for everyone.” “Obviously, it affects your performance and prevents you from playing with complete confidence if you bring in a fear of failing or anxiety over whether you will play or not. That is crucial for whatever team you play for, but it is extremely crucial for England. Everyone is aware of the intense battle for available spots.”
Since the training wickets at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium take a lot of spin, England does not anticipate a high-scoring affair during the three-match ODI series. Instead, they believe that scores in the 250–300 range will be more indicative of par.
It won’t be a grind, but it will require more effort on your part. You’ll need to approach each inning as though it were a longer format.There are no concerns that it may turn into a protracted T20.”
The game on Sunday begins at 9:30 am, which shouldn’t be a problem for a bunch that is still essentially on UK time and gets up at 6 am. However, an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale struck Antigua on Saturday, giving the squad an earlier wake-up call than usual. Although there was no significant damage to the island, it was a novel experience for a bunch of boys from Shires, Manchester, and Surrey.
Joking, Jacks said, “We’re all claiming that we’re earthquake survivors now,” while he slept through it all. “I was shocked to see the messages on the group when I woke up at around six o’clock. A few of the boys reported that everything in their room was trembling.
Some players were more worried than others because England was staying at a resort on the southeast part of the island with a direct view of the ocean.
“I got a message from Brooky [Harry Brook] asking if there would be a tsunami. Jacks made a joke about his friend. “That was the first thing we thought but it’s all good now.”
