‘Disappointed but it gives me freedom’ – Will Jacks opens up on central contract snub
Will Jacks has opened up on his disappointment at not receiving an ECB central contract in the deals handed out by the board last month.
It was announced in October that 29 players had been offered men’s contracts of one kind or another, with 18 players accepting multi-year contracts. Jacks was not among the names on the list, despite having made his international debut in all three formats in the last 14 months, and having played 12 matches for England in that time.
Speaking to the MailOnline, Jacks said: “I was very hopeful of getting a central contract but there are a lot of talented cricketers out there and I can understand why I didn’t get one. There are numerous fast bowlers and they want to look after them with injury worries.
“It was disappointing but it does give me freedom. There are a lot of franchises and while nobody likes to talk about it there can be a lot of money involved and it’s a short career. Everything comes into play. The World Cup is a massive one so playing T20 cricket is really important to me at the moment. The way the game and the world is at the moment definitely suits me. I was always a kid who enjoyed whacking it.”
Jacks most recently played for England in their home ODI series against Ireland in September. He hit 94 in the second match of the series, and has been selected for England’s upcoming white-ball series in the West Indies. He also took six wickets on Test debut against Pakistan in December 2022.
Jacks missed the 2023 IPL – in which he was contracted to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore – due to a hip injury which he picked up flying from a Test series in New Zealand to Bangladesh.
“It was a tendon injury which is incredibly rare for a cricketer,” said Jacks. “Especially a batsman, so what it came down to was a pure tiredness injury.
“I’d had 40 flights last winter and my body was at its limit. Something had to give. So I learnt my lessons about recovery and I have to look after myself going forward. It’s the before and after flying, the stretching, going in the pool and eating well.”
England’s tour of the West Indies begins this weekend on Sunday, December 3.
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