‘Will Jacks hasn’t bowled poorly’: England coach shamelessly defends all-rounder after embarrassing show

England’s spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel defended all-rounder Will Jacks despite his poor bowling after Day 3 (Friday, December 19) of the third Test against Australia in Adelaide. Patel said Jacks did not bowl poorly in the match, adding that he was selected in the playing XI to strengthen England’s batting lineup.

Australia tightened their grip with a massive 356-run lead. The decision to back Jacks as the main spinner ahead of Shoaib Bashir drew criticism. Australia targeted Jacks aggressively, exposing his limitations. The right-arm off-spinner picked up one wicket for 107 runs off 14 overs in Australia's second innings.

I Don't Think Will Jacks Has Bowled Poorly - Jeetan Patel

Speaking after the third day’s play, Jeetan Patel said that Will Jacks’ bowling was not as bad as it appeared. He added that Australia played Jacks smartly by using their feet to put him under pressure. Patel also stated that Jacks was selected mainly for his batting skills.

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"I don't think he has bowled poorly, if anything he's been a touch short or a touch straight at times. His pace has been a little bit down compared to [Nathan] Lyon but I'm not comparing him to Lyon, I'm comparing him to Will Jacks," Patel said.

"And look, they've played him very well. They've used the crease, they've got deep, they've run down at him, they've used the offside and the legside and they've looked to score to put him under pressure, and it's probably what you would do against a spinner of Jacks' nature where it's not his frontline skill as such."

"But we all know why he was picked, and that was because of the first two games where we felt like we did need that extra batting cover."

''I don't think he bowled poorly.''

England spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel on Will Jacks. pic.twitter.com/qKXIhzQwkg

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) December 19, 2025

Shoaib Bashir Is Our Number One Guy - Jeetan Patel

Jeetan Patel stated that Shoaib Bashir remains England’s first-choice spinner and the team has faith in his abilities. Patel added that the balance of using four fast bowlers with Will Jacks supporting them can work well in the right conditions. However, he admitted that it did not deliver the results.

"I still believe that Bash [Shoaib Bashir] is our number one guy, and I think he does a fantastic job for us, and he always has," Patel continued.

"Because we do play that way, we look to pick the players that we think are going to fit the game the most, and with all four seamers firing and Jacksy backing them up, I think that works. I think it works very well, but it probably didn't play out as well as we'd like it today."

Will Jacks Endures Difficult Adelaide Test as Australia Take Firm Control

Will Jacks had a very tough Test in Adelaide. He became the first England player since 1981 to give away more than 100 runs in both innings of an Ashes Test. Australia attacked his bowling and scored freely.

In contrast, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon showed strong control. He took two wickets in England’s first innings while conceding 70 runs. His tight bowling helped captain Pat Cummins manage his fast bowlers better and keep pressure on England.

Australia then built a huge lead in the second innings. Travis Head scored an unbeaten 142, while Alex Carey added another knock with an unbeaten 52. At the end of day three, Australia were 271 for 4 with a lead of 356 runs.

Also read: Ben Stokes injured during 3rd Ashes Test, England hide issue but commentator exposes truth