- Will Jacks was omitted from the 29 central contracts awarded in October
- The 25-year-old has appeared for England in all formats in the past 12 months
- A space could open up for Jacks if the squad is revamped after the World Cup
Will Jacks tends to take shocks in his stride these days, so it was no surprise he slept through an earthquake that woke the majority of England’s squad on Saturday.
The final day of practice ahead of the one-day international series in the Caribbean began earlier than expected when tremors measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale forced a dazed and confused tour party out of bed just before 5am.
Not Jacks, though. He eventually got up at his customary 6am wondering what all the fuss had been about.
‘I saw the messages couldn’t believe it. Some of the guys said their whole room was shaking, so it was a bit weird,’ he said. ‘But I’m a deep sleeper. I don’t wake up for anything.’
The name of Jacks was conspicuous by its absence when 29 central contracts were awarded in October, particularly given that he has appeared for England in all formats in the past 12 months — he completed a six-wicket haul on Test debut a year ago on Sunday — and at the age of 25 appears to represent the future.
Will Jacks has represented England in all formats this year but was not given a central contract
The 25-year-old all-rounder completed a six-wicket haul on Test debut a year ago on Sunday
The Surrey all-rounder learnt of his fate much like the rest of us: ‘I ended up seeing it on Twitter and that was disappointing.’
There are no guarantees going forward other than the promise that he will open in all three ODIs against the West Indies alongside Phil Salt.
This tour is essentially a payback for the West Indies saving the ECB a fortune by sending a team to the UK at the height of the Covid pandemic three years ago.
But it has inherited greater value since the meekest of 50-over World Cup title defences by England in India.
Only six of that tournament’s personnel are in this squad, with Reece Topley just here to build up his fitness for the five Twenty20 matches that follow.
And the missing A-listers could find themselves on shaky ground selection-wise in the event of a strong showing by some of the emerging understudies.
Jacks will open in all three ODIs against the West Indies alongside Phil Salt as he looks to earn a spot
