For three years England told us they had a master Ashes plan. They abandoned it after two days

As England licked its wounds following a demoralising loss in Perth, former skipper Michael Vaughan prophesied it would be a loss that would cause significant damage.

But the player most damaged, at least in regards to the Brisbane Test, is the one who ultimately served as the 12th man for that match in Shoaib Bashir.

An aggressive spinner developed through the Bazball era with a view to the Ashes, Bashir has instead been overlooked for a rival spinner for the first time since debuting for England.

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Whether it is a fatal blow to his Ashes aspirations is not yet certain, with former England and Australian captains believing he will be best suited to success in Adelaide and beyond.

Australia’s ability to rout England twice in Perth, despite the absence of both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, has forced the tourists to make a concession by selecting all-rounder Will Jacks.

As Fox Cricket expert Michael Vaughan said in Brisbane, England believes the short-form specialist is the better option for the Gabba because of his ability with the bat rather than the ball.

“They’ve gone with more batting. Will Jacks is a decent off-spinner in these conditions but in (Test) conditions, let’s be brutally honest, he is a part-timer,” Vaughan told the BBC’s Test Match Special.

“They’ve pretty much backed Shoaib Bashir for the past three years for this moment here in Australia but clearly Shoaib has either not impressed them or they don’t feel his style of bowling is going to be useful here and he obviously doesn’t bat.

“England failed with the bat in Perth. They need more runs, so it looks to me that they have gone No.8 (with) Will Jacks because that pink ball gets softer and easier to hit and they need someone at No.8 who can strike it.”

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Jacks, who replaced injured fast bowler Mark Wood, has not played a Test since his second appearance in Pakistan back in 2022. He did take six wickets on debut, but in both his Test appearances, he bowled in partnership with other spinners.

The 27-year-old managed to take just five wickets in three first class matches for Surrey in the most recent County season and has bowled primarily with the white ball.

Bashir, in contrast, has taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests, which included nine wickets in the enthralling series against India during the English summer.

But he was expensive and after being overlooked for the last two Tests of that series, has now missed the first two matches in Australia as well.

Fox Cricket expert Isa Guha foreshadowed prior to the Perth Test that if England was forced to strengthen their batting line-up, Bashir could be surplus to their needs.

“It is a viable strategy. I think Nathan Lyon has been so successful here because he gets that top spin and that over spin on the ball, so he gets the extra bounce,” she said.

“Now, Bashir is a tall bowler, so he can get the extra bounce, but he probably lacks consistency. But if there’s anyone that can get the best out of him, it’s Ben (Stokes).

“I think if anything, the question is going to be more around their batting and the depth of batting that they have.”

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Bashir, 22, took only two wickets in an outing against the English Lions at Lilac Hill prior to the start of the Ashes and ex-English captain Mike Atherton feels that counted against him.

“I would say Jacks looked every bit as good an off-spinner at Shoaib Bashir at Lilac Hill and that probably helped sway the decision as well and he gives them the extra batting,” he told Sky Sports.

“But … they have invested a lot in Shoaib Bashir the last couple of years or so and they have consistently said he is our No.1 spinner. He was in the 12 for Perth and Brendon McCullum before the series began said he is our spinner.

“But I reckon they will have assured him or spoken to him and maybe just slightly fed to him ahead of this series that it was always likely Jacks might come into the equation for this game.”

Former English spinner Phil Tufnell believes preferring Jacks to Bashir is a concession as to how badly things went wrong for the tourists in Perth.

“They’ve gone against themselves a little bit, haven’t they, by thinking they need a little bit extra down the backend with the bat?” he said on the BBC.

“Will Jacks is a decent off-spinner and it is hot. I know it is a day-night Test match but it will be played in these conditions and you will need some form of spin.”

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England captain Ben Stokes is a big supporter of Bashir but believes Jacks, who has played a lot of cricket under lights in white ball cricket, is better suited for Brisbane.

“They play a lot of day-night cricket here (and) how they use their spinner as an attacking option, or more to give the bowlers an easier rotation and to get through the overs quicker to have more time with the new ball under lights, there’s both those elements we will consider with how a spinner is to be used in a day-night game,“ he said.

Ollie Pope, who batted well in Perth at No.3 without capitalising on good starts, said Jacks has developed as a cricketer in recent years and is worthy of selection.

“Everyone knows what a brilliant cricketer he is,” he said.

“The way he’s grown over the last few years, we’ve seen his white-ball game really go forward. It’s a great opportunity for his red-ball, too.

“He’s obviously got that style of spin bowling where he can get some bounce and turn off the pitch, then everyone has seen the skills he’s got in the white-ball format.”

But prior to the series starting, former Australian captain Ian Chappell said he believed Bashir would be best suited in Adelaide and England given his aggression. It is a point Atherton made as well after the selection surprise.

“There is no reason why, with the next game in Adelaide and a proper day game and maybe a much drier pitch where spinners are expected to play a much stronger role, there is no reason why Bashir could not come into the side for that game,” he said. “We will see how Jacks goes in this particular game but I think for this game, Jacks is a pragmatic pick.”