Jacks, England's trump card in 'imperfect' T20 World Cup campaign

England's Will Jacks plays a shot during the T20 match between ENG and NZ in Colombo (AP Photo)

In 2023, England team were in Antigua for three ODIs against West Indies, when a 5.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the Caribbean island, shaking buildings violently in the early hours. An oblivious Will Jacks slept through those tremors. More than two years later, Jacks is now truly awake to the ground shifting beneath his feet. The 27-year-old has emerged as the lynchpin of England's T20 World Cup campaign, the player upon whom their fortunes have depended. Entrusted with the role of a finisher, he was central to England's four-wicket win over New Zealand in their Super 8 game in Colombo on Friday, a triumph earned with three balls to spare.

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An unbroken seventh-wicket partnership off 44 from 16 balls with Rehan Ahmed transformed a precarious 117/6 in the 17th over, chasing 160, into a monumental win. Jacks finished unbeaten on 32 from 18 balls, bagging his fourth Player of the Match award, and becoming only the second player to do so in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. With the ball, he also claimed two scalps to restrict the Black Caps to 159/7. Across seven innings in this showpiece tournament, Jacks has compiled 191 runs at an average of 63.67 and chipped in with seven wickets with his offspin. Against Sri Lanka six nights ago, he triggered a sensational collapse, finishing with 3/22 after bowling in the Powerplay. It capped an all-round display, following impactful knocks of 39* and 53*against Nepal and Italy in the group stages. The allrounder admitted England's strength has been their ability to stay calm during important moments and make the correct decisions. "What we've done well is that in key moments, we've kept a calm and clear head," Jacks said after the win against New Zealand. He emphasized that England are not required to play their "perfect game" to lift the T20 World Cup. According to him, results outweigh flawless displays, especially in such an unpredictable format. "We've won six of the seven games and qualified for the semifinal. At the end of the day, no one really cares (about the perfect game)," he added. Before his exploits in this T20 World Cup, Jacks provided a glimpse of his credentials in the 2024 IPL, when he hammered a 41-ball century for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) against Gujarat Titans. In that knock, he turbocharged from 50 to 100 in just 10 balls, in a six-minute blur, helping RCB overhaul a 201-run target in 16 overs. Jacks was only 11 when England lifted their only T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, with his childhood hero Kevin Pietersen named the player of the tournament. The coming week offers him the opportunity to carve out his own chapter in England's T20 history.

Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and keyseries stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.

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