England have announced their playing XI for the 2nd Ashes 2025 Test, which will be played at the Gabba in Brisbane and begins on December 4. Mark Wood, who has been ruled out of this match, has been replaced by Will Jacks.
Even though England’s batters did not do well in the Perth Test, the team has kept the same batting order for the second match. Adding Will Jacks will give the visitors more strength in the lower order, and they will hope to level the series 1-1 with a win in Brisbane.
Will Jacks, who has played only two Tests so far, is set to play his first Ashes match. He made his debut in 2022 against Pakistan and has not got another chance in red ball cricket since then. He has scored 89 runs in four innings at an average of 22.25 and has taken six wickets.
With Mark Wood out due to a knee injury, England have replaced a fast bowler with a spin all rounder. With Jacks in the team, England get more batting depth and an extra spin option. He will most likely bat at No. 8.
In first class cricket, Jacks has scored 2591 runs in 57 matches and has taken 49 wickets.
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Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.
England does not have a good record in pink ball Test matches. They have played seven Tests and won only two. The two wins came against West Indies at home and New Zealand away. The other five matches ended in defeat – three against Australia in Australia, one against India and one against New Zealand. All three losses to Australia were heavy defeats. So their pink ball record is very poor, and with them already trailing 1-0 in the series and not having won a Test in Australia since 2010-11, this will be a big challenge for them.
Australia, on the other hand, have an outstanding record in pink ball Tests. They have won 13 out of the 14 matches they have played. Their only loss came against West Indies in 2024. The one positive for England is that this match will be played at the same venue where Australia suffered their only day-night Test defeat.
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