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SELECT 👉 Hagley Oval feed
Pom’s view: Atherton’s shock England selection call
SEN •  December 2nd, 2025 9:46 am
Could England play a spinner for the second Ashes Test at the Gabba?
That is what former England skipper Mike Atherton was pondering in the lead-up to the touring Poms’ next assignment under lights in Brisbane.
In the squad from a spin perspective is Shoaib Bashir and Will Jacks, but will Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes look to a slow bowler after playing four quicks in Perth?
Mark Wood’s knee issue opens the door for either Bashir or Jacks to be thrown in and Atherton believes that a pink-ball Test in Brissie is the right recipe for a tweaker.
And he is favouring a two-Test offie who is handy with the bat in white-ball cricket.
“There may still be periods where the bat dominates, which is why a spinner should remain under serious consideration,” Atherton wrote in his column for The Times.
“If so then who should it be? Shoaib Bashir or Will Jacks? England tend to stay loyal and Bashir was in the 12 for Perth, but Jacks should come into consideration, as he offers insurance with both bat and ball.
“Jacks has played only two Tests and was a surprise inclusion for this Ashes tour, but he may well have been picked with this one match in mind. I would pick him over Bashir.”
The 27-year-old’s most recent Test appearance came against Pakistan in December 2022 when he went wicket-less.
The Gabba Test kicks off on Thursday from 2pm local time (3pm AEDT) with every ball LIVE across the SEN network.
