Having grown attached to the sport from a very young age, Will Jacks played in every age-group possible for Surrey, starting from U-9s, before making it to the England U-19 side and the ECB XI for practice matches. A spin-bowling all-rounder with a metronomic stock ball and probing lengths, Jacks seems to switch personality when he bats. For a tall and lean man, he has the ability to clear boundaries with ease, especially with the leverage he manages to generate because of the length of his arms.

Despite the notion that spin-bowling all-rounders are bits-and-pieces cricketers, Jacks has cemented his spot in the Surrey 2nd XI side in 2017. Before he made his first-class debut, Jacks caught the eye of many counties because of his value as an all-rounder: his miserly bowling in the age-group level and his big-hitting abilities. In the age of wrist-spin, the off-spinner has shown excellent street-smartness at a rather young age; a trait extremely well-suited for the shorter formats. A level-headed young man, he was chosen to lead England in the Youth Test against India in which he handled the responsibility well and delivered with a fantastic hundred.

Jacks made his List A debut rather recently in May 2018 against Somerset in the 2018 Royal London One-Day Cup. After two quiet games, he scored a pivotal 121 against Gloucestershire and showcased his big-hitting ability on the big stage. He made his first-class debut soon after for Surrey in June 2018, and has been used as a batsman in his first three matches, without getting a bowl on the greener tracks with the Dukes ball. He went on to make his Twenty20 debut for Surrey in the 2018 T20 Blast and has played only 3 matches without much impact with the bat or an opportunity to bowl.

Jacks has started to rise through the ranks steadily and was named vice-captain to Harry Brook for the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in 2018. In his first chance to exhibit his talent to the world, Jacks managed 193 runs at 38.60 and 7 wickets in 6 games in an impressive performance. Alas, England failed to make it to the semi-finals and finished at fifth place. He led the side in the 5th-place playoff as Harry Brook was absent.

Despite making a name primarily in white ball cricket, it was actually in Test cricket that Will Jacks got his first opportunity for England. He was picked mainly for his off spin abilities for the away series against Pakistan in December, 2022. He got a call-up in ODIs and T20s as well shortly after for the away games against Pakistan and Bangladesh.

In the 2024 season, Will Jacks was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, and made waves in the tournament with a quickfire century against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Apart from the IPL, Jacks has been a consistent performer in franchise cricket in SA20, the PSL and BPL. He has also been picked sparingly by England for their white ball games.

In the 2025 IPL, Will Jacks will be playing for Mumbai Indians.

By Rishi Roy