England announce playing XI for pink-ball Test at The Gabba, injured pacer replaced by spin-bowling all-rounder

England on December 2 announced their playing eleven for the second Test of the Ashes 2025-26. England have made one forced changed to their side. Injured Mark Wood has been replaced by all-rounder Will Jacks who can contribute with spin as well. While England had Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts waiting in the wings, they have roped in Jacks to strengthen their batting lineup after the Perth debacle where they batted less than 68 overs.

England's playing XI for pink-ball Test -

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

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How Mark Wood fared in Perth Test?

35-year-old Wood remained wicketless in the Ashes opener at Perth's Optus Stadium. He bowled a total of 11 overs in the Test. Earlier, he had a injury scare after bowling in the intra-squad game. He was cleared of an injury in the scans but got injured again on his comeback.

Will Jacks to play a Test after 3 years

Jacks made his Test debut three years ago against Pakistan. On Pakistan soil, he scored 89 runs from four innings at a strike rate of 98.88. With his handy off-spin, he provided with a six-wicket haul in Rawalpindi on his Test debut.

Will Jacks' first-class record

From 57 first-class games, Jacks has scored 2,591 runs at an average of 34.54. He has four centuries and 16 fifties in the format. The Surrey off-spinner has 49 wickets at an average of 42.22.

Will Jacks' white-ball record against Australia

While Jacks is experienced in Tests, he has played five ODIs against Australia, scoring 156 runs including two half-centuries. In T20Is, he has a poor record against Australia, scoring just 28 runs from three innings.