England opener Keaton Jennings is set to miss his university graduation ceremony after being handed a third crack at Test cricket.
Jennings last played for England in 2019, getting axed for a second time after a poor run of form. However, the 30-year-old believes he is now a "different person" and earned his recall for the upcoming Pakistan series after a prolific season with Lancashire, scoring 1,233 runs at an average of 72.52 in Division One of the County Championship.
Since his last international appearance, Jennings has completed two degrees, with the latest a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). And the opener has revealed his graduation ceremony is set to take place the day before England's third Test in Karachi.
"I contacted the University [of Manchester] and they can't send the gown out so I'll just be watching online in Karachi," he told the Daily Mail. "In sport, there's a stigma to a degree that players aren't clever.
"Those pictures when you see people graduate with a gown on, there's a part of me that wants that picture." Instead, Jennings looks set to partner Zak Crawley at the top of the order in England's first Test tour of Pakistan in 17 years.
He does have an impressive record in Asia, having scored Test centuries in India and Sri Lanka, but also believes he is now a much improved cricketer having adjusted his technique and adopted a new approach mentally that means he 'loves playing cricket again'.
"I've learnt how to accept it when you're on the other side," Jennings added. "When I last played, my numbers weren't good enough and it took me a while to come to terms.
"Now I've made peace with the fact that I don't necessarily need to play for England again to prove a point to anyone. I've been content over the last couple of years, in a position of happiness and a position where I'm proud of myself and I've just loved playing cricket again.
"I know what to expect now. It's the smallest things like bringing my coffee machine that make me feel comfortable. I'm a different person to who I was three or four years ago."
