Will Jacks replaces injured Tom Abell in squad for Bangladesh ODIs

Will Jacks, who is currently in Wellington with the England Test squad, will leave New Zealand early and link-up with the white-ball side earlier than planned as a replacement for the injured Tom Abell in the squad for the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh starting March 1. Abell had earned a maiden call-up but the Somerset skipper picked up a side strain playing for England Lions against Sri Lanka ‘A’ in an unofficial ODI ten days ago. 

Abell was officially ruled out of the Bangladesh tour immediately after he picked up his injury but the ECB chose not to immediately name a replacement. But with Jacks not finding a spot in the starting line-up against New Zealand, the management have chosen to fly the all-rounder, who was initially expected to link-up for only the T20Is, to the subcontinent for the ODIs. 

Jacks has already represented England in Tests and T20Is and he now stands a chance of making his ODI debut, particularly with conditions in Bangladesh expected to render his six-hitting and off-spin valuable. 

Jacks does not have the best of List A records — averages 24.09 with the bat and has taken only 11 wickets — but the 24-year-old is someone highly rated by the English management owing to the x-factor he possesses.

Jacks has a Test five-fer to his name and he’s already a highly sought after entity in the shortest format. Last month, he was one of the standout players in the inaugural SA20 where, representing the Pretoria Capitals, he struck 270 runs at a SR of 201.49 in addition to taking 3 wickets with the ball in hand. 

At the IPL auction in December, he was snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a whopping INR 3.20 crore.