Will Jacks thinks a tough winter schedule was to blame for the hip flexor injury that kept him out of action at the start of the English season.
The Surrey all-rounder suffered the injury during England’s March limited-overs tour of Bangladesh, and it is expected that he will recover in time for Surrey’s T20 Blast season by the end of May.
After being released from the Test squad to bolster the ODI team after failing to make the starting XI for the second and final match in Wellington, Jacks traveled to Bangladesh via New Zealand.
He ended 2022 in Pakistan on his first Test tour, where he made his debut with 6 for 161 in the first Test in Rawalpindi. He had begun 2023 playing in the SA20 for Pretoria Capitals, where he was their top run scorer with 270 runs.
After the seven-match T20I series that ended in September parallel with the end of the English season, that was his second trip to Pakistan. He participated in a test preparation programme in the UAE between both times.
From a professional standpoint, gaining caps in all three formats was evidence that England management holds Jacks in high esteem.
With the 50-over World Cup and a five-match Test series taking place in India for a large portion of the winter of 2023–24, Jacks has improved his reputation as a dangerous batsman and useful offspinner.
He does, however, come out of a fruitful seven months as a warning against the traps of the hard timetable. He had been signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore in December’s auction for INR 3.2 core (£320,000), however he was forced to postpone his IPL debut due to an injury.
“I had 40 flights in the winter,” Jacks said. “I was meant to go to the IPL, so it would have been another 20 or something. It has definitely been the busiest winter I’ve ever had; I don’t think it helped.”
“Flying from New Zealand, I didn’t really train before the first game because my bags didn’t arrive. I definitely think that didn’t help. Then, it was just a random one-off event.”
“You’re never really sure, but that’s obviously part of it going forward, around flying in the winter – I’m just going to have to be really good on my recovery after flights, looking after my body a little bit better than I have done this winter.”
“When we play in England, we drive everywhere. But when you get flying involved, it almost doubles. In South Africa, you have to fly to every game. In New Zealand we took quite a few flights, and then obviously a long one to Bangladesh. That’s the difference – when you’re flying between games, the recovery has to be even more important.”
The England physios on the ground in Bangladesh discovered the hip problem right away and agreed that the best-case scenario for recovery was five weeks, giving Jacks a little chance of competing in the IPL.
An MRI scan performed after landing at home revealed the full amount of the injury and a more reasonable recovery time of two months.
However, Jacks can look back on the winter with nostalgia and is eager to continue where he left off when he is able to return to the pitch.
“If I look back to September when I went to Pakistan for the T20s and made my first England debut, that was amazing, and that kind of started the winter from there,”
he said.
“Up until the injury, I couldn’t have asked for it to go any better: I made my debut in all three formats, played in one franchise and did pretty well in that, so I’ve been very happy.”
“Obviously, I would have loved to play a few more games – there were a few times when I was around a squad and didn’t quite get picked, but I guess that’s part of it when you’re trying to force yourself in – but I’ve loved every second of it.”
“It’s made me really hungry and I want to have a great English summer. Now I’ve missed the IPL, I’m really hungry to get back and force my way into squads after missing out on that opportunity.”
The fact that he will miss Surrey’s County Championships opening six games is a setback for both the county’s title defense and Jacks’ plans to play for the Test team, especially with the upcoming Ashes series in June.
Even though Jacks showed potential in the summer of 2022 with 17 wickets at 47, the main reason for his invitation for the Pakistan series was the absence of other options for spin.
His main strength, though, is batting, as seen by the two hundreds and three half-centuries he scored in the previous year, with a top score of 150 not out.
With a strike rate of 77.23, he finished with 648 Division One runs at an average of 54, which is in line with the current Test mentality under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
Because three of his four Test innings have been at the No. 7 or below position, he has yet to demonstrate such form with England. In order to change people’s perceptions of the roles he can play in red-ball cricket, Jacks is aiming for a shift up the order, first for club, then for country.
“I think that has been one of the things that has been slightly lost,” Jacks said. “The role that I have here at Surrey – batting seven or eight, I even batted nine last year – I think one thing I’ve been slightly frustrated at is the lack of opportunities up the order.
“I averaged 50-something last year and I know I can bat in the top six – well, four – and I’d love to do that. Just because I’ve suddenly started bowling, it doesn’t mean I’m no longer a batter. I’m a full allrounder who can bat in the top six and I’d like more opportunities to do that.”