The Ashes

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Shoaib Bashir would have bowled better than Will Jacks in the third Ashes Test, according to ex-England spinner Phil Tufnell.

Jacks has been ineffective in Adelaide, returning 3-212 from his 39 overs on a pitch that is already offering turn for the spinners.

England preferred Surrey all-rounder Jacks over 22-year-old Bashir, who has taken 69 Test wickets since being identified as the kind of bowler England might need down under.

"Everybody knows at Adelaide you play a spinner," Tufnell told BBC Test Match Special.

"I can understand not playing a spinner at Perth and perhaps not playing a spinner at Brisbane.

"To not play a full-time recognised spin bowler in Adelaide - I think there is a bit of clogging up with selection.

"I'm not having a go at Will Jacks because he has not got the tools to do it. But why has Bashir become unselectable?

"If Bashir is not going to play here, why is he here in the first place? No disrespect to Jacks, but Bashir would have bowled better than Jacks. He is a bowler, and it is in his blood."

Another former England spinner, Graeme Swann, agreed and said any excuses that the domestic system is to blame for a lack of options is wrong.

"The excuse is always rolled out that spinners can't bowl at the start and the end of the season," said Swann, speaking on TNT Sports.

"It's a soft excuse. If you can't bowl at all times, find a role for yourself as the spinner in the team or you won't get picked.

"They don't bowl but that is more to do with the way they're captained and fields are set that doesn't allow them to get overs under their belt.

"The way spin is viewed in England is fundamentally wrong in county cricket and has been for a long time.

"I grew up having to bowl early season and squeeze out 15 overs and try to find a way, not having the excuse of, 'It's April so we can't play spin'."

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Ollie Pope has not "got to the point where he is void of confidence", according to England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick.

Pope is yet to score a half-century in eight Tests against Australia and was dismissed for just three on the second day of the third Test as England closed on 213-8, trailing by 158 runs.

Speaking to Test Match Special, Trescothick said: "I don't think it has got to that point where he is void of confidence. He didn't get the runs he wanted to get and found it tough.

"It goes like that if you get a couple of low scores - the pressure comes on. He will still work hard overnight and come back tomorrow with a game plan and then try to put that into place."

Reflecting on the match situation, Trescothick added: "We have a bit of work to do tomorrow to get to a total that we're happy with and feel like we can compete in the second innings.

"I know we have talked about it before that we haven't been good enough for long enough in certain periods.

"We are looking at it hard, and we're trying to find solutions. We have got to be better for longer and keep sustaining our approach and our attitude at what we're trying to do.

"We have tried to adjust. We're always trying to be positive, we're always trying to apply pressure back into the game and get ahead of games. And put ourselves in the front seat.

"Sometimes you have to adapt, you can see the way Ben has played today. He has decided to play in that fashion. Other times we are aggressive, and we try to put the opposition on the back foot."