EXCLUSIVE Rookie teen Eddie Jack thanks Andrew Flintoff after getting the call to join England's Test squad
Eddie Jack will venture into the Headingley nets next Tuesday after following his daily ritual.
'I'm a big routine guy, especially when I go away from home. Going all around the country, all over the world, staying in different hotels, I've got a little check list,' he tells Mail Sport.
'I try to do all sorts of stuff first thing before I look at my phone. I wake up, read my Bible, make my bed, shower… and then I can start the day properly. If I control the beginning and the end of the day, then what happens in the middle takes care of itself.'
It is for the stuff that happens in the middle period that England have invited a teenager yet to make a County Championship appearance to join their first Test squad in Leeds.
You will be forgiven for not having heard of Jack, a hulking fast bowler enjoying a remark-ably rapid rise in his first year as a professional with Hampshire. It is only a fortnight since he made his first-class debut, but his cause has been championed by the increasingly influential England Lions coach, Andrew Flintoff.
Flintoff, flanked by bowling coach Neil Killeen, broke the news on Monday — ahead of the final day's play of the draw against India A at Northampton — that he would be joining up with Ben Stokes 's team ahead of the first of five Tests against India.
'I think the plan is just to get to know those guys, see the environment, train with them,' Jack says. 'Testing myself against Joe Root and Harry Brook will be a huge privilege. It's an opportunity to show them what I'm about, provide me with a bit of exposure, but I don't think there's much intention of me playing.'
Under this regime, however, a wildcard selection cannot be completely ruled out. As they showed last summer with Josh Hull, or with Rehan Ahmed previously, they are not averse to picking either raw pace bowlers or teenagers. And, if the ankle twist Josh Tongue suffered last week has caused more damage than anticipated, he would be a like-for-like replacement as someone who swings the new ball at a pace closer to 90 miles per hour than 80 and is prepared to thud the pitch halfway down when it goes softer.
Jack will not be over-awed by such a prospect. At 6ft 4in, he is physically imposing, but the greatest strength of the middle son of a Dorset school chaplain is his faith.
'It's a massive part of my identity, and it helps me hugely in my sport as well, keeping me grounded when things are going well and not too despondent when they're going badly,' he explains.
'Some of my idols, like Eric Liddell, have been famous for not competing on a Sunday, but I think each Christian has their own interpretation and, for me, it's part of my job, so I do my job on a Sunday and try to get some time with the Lord on other days.'
Jack has known Flintoff since 2023, when the former television presenter returned to cricket following his horrific Top Gear crash by coaching England Under-19s. So it was a pleasant surprise last month when Jack was told during an unofficial match for a County XI against Zimbabwe in which he claimed five wickets: 'There's something different about you.'
Jack explains: 'I'd clearly gone up in his estimation a bit. Fred's such a good coach. He's got so many iconic moments: that over to Ricky Ponting in the Ashes, another over to Jacques Kallis, things that you try to emulate. To have him singing your praises and egging you on is so encouraging. Coming from him, it carries that little bit extra gravitas.'
Jack was born on the second day of the historic Oval finale to the 2005 Ashes — one of three Tests in which Flintoff claimed five wickets. Flintoff's mentoring, including the parroting of a Brendon McCullum phrase — 'To be where your feet are' — was influential during two matches against the Indian second string that saw the 19-year-old dismiss both Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul.
Jack says: 'I've found that really helpful. If you find yourself bowling at Jaiswal, it's no good thinking, "Oh my goodness, he was hitting such and such into the stands last year". I'm like, "I've got the ball in my hand, he's at the other end, let's try to get him out."
'It's something (former All Black) Dan Carter spoke about. If he missed an easy kick, he just kicked the ground. Digging your toes into the turf is quite a good way of being where your feet are because, suddenly, they're what you're thinking about. Grounding yourself, getting back in the zone. I copy him, having a little kick of the turf at the top of my mark.'
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