How Will Jacks went from bit-part participant to England’s MVP at T20 World Cup, writes RICHARD GIBSON
Will Jacks arrived at the Twenty20 World Cup contemplating a bit-part role, but has fast become England’s most valuable player.
Had it not been for his late-innings runs against Nepal and Italy, they might not have returned to one of their favoured hunting grounds, but his third player-of-the-match award across England’s four wins at the tournament came as part of a much more rounded and dynamic performance.
Whenever called upon in this 51-run dispatch, he excelled: scrambling his team to a total of 146 for nine with some wristy blows into open acreage and then leaving co-hosts Sri Lanka’s innings on life support with figures of 4-0-22-3 at the start of the chase.
Unsated, he expertly relayed a boundary catch to Tom Banton to dismiss the big-hitting Dasun Shanaka off Adil Rashid, snuffing out the prospect of late drama.
‘He is a very competitive lad. He was annoyed when he got out and after his first over, he said “I always bowl better when I’m annoyed”. That was one of the reasons I kept him on,’ revealed England captain Harry Brook.
‘He is that perfect player. He is the jack of all trades who can do everything. He is awesome in the field and with the bat and like we saw here very good with the ball.’
Will Jacks expected to be a bit-part player for England at the World Cup, but has been their star man so far
Tapping into his muscle memory, having taken three for 14 in England’s defence of 129 in the whitewash-completing win over the Sri Lankans earlier this month, Jacks kept the stumps in play from around the wicket, resulting in three mishits that travelled no further than the inner circle.
And with Jofra Archer rampaging with full-on pace at the other end – dismissing Pathum Nissanka, one of the players of the tournament so far, and recalled opener Kamil Mishara – England hurried to their 12th straight win over the Sri Lankans.
In one way their top order was complicit, pushing at deliveries they need not have done on a tacky surface.
Jacks, whose improvement as a bowler since taking a six-wicket haul on Test debut in late 2022 has seen him used regularly by Mumbai in the Indian Premier League, had leaked 14 runs an over in Group C matches.
But his increasing confidence is one of the positives of a tricky start to international captaincy for Brook, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Sunday.
The Surrey all-rounder struggled to justify his selection as England’s primary spinner during the Ashes, but his over-spin acted as a fine variation to the metronomy of left-armer Liam Dawson and the guile of Adil Rashid as the spin trio combined for seven for 62 in a match that had been under threat of heavy rain.
That England were able to scramble to a defendable total on the same surface used for the final match of the group stages – Australia’s crushing of Oman on Friday night – came down to a return to form for Phil Salt.
Fatigue was clearly taking its toll on England’s most prolific T20 centurion as he neared a 36-ball 50 and, cramping caused by the high humidity in Sri Lanka’s scenic hill country, was out soon afterwards when during a final flurry of strokes – including an audacious flick off his hip for six off pace bowler Dushmantha Chameera – he picked out long off.
Jos Buttler failed once again, but with England now topping their Super Eight group, and boasting a strong net run rate, Brook viewed it positively, saying: ‘Look, we still haven’t had that perfect game. But I think that presents quite an exciting prospect.’
