How Will Jacks has learned to channel his fury and bat like Kevin Pietersen to become England’s World Cup MVP
During his international career, Will Jacks has traded as both a frontline batsman and first-choice spinner yet it is only since mastering the art of being neither that he has truly excelled on the global stage.
Rather than having an entire innings in front of him, as was the case when he was tried at the top of England’s white-ball sides for the first two years of his career, or being invited to put together a lengthy spell of bowling in Test matches as was the case in this winter’s Ashes, Jacks has thrived since being asked to make immediate impacts.
As a No 7 batsman and the sixth bowler in this Twenty20 World Cup, he has proved himself to be extremely successful in limited windows of opportunity.
His 191 runs have come at a strike rate of 176.85, by far the highest of Harry Brook’s squad and only trailing Shimron Hetmyer, of West Indies, and India’s Ishan Kishan of those to have scored as many. His seven victims with the ball, taken at an average of 22, have all been top-six batsmen.
’It’s a bit of a seesaw, because obviously I want to do stuff, but at the same time if I’m doing nothing, we’re going to win. Coming into the semi-final, if I do nothing I’m sure we’ve had a great game,’ Jacks said, of his influence on this tournament.
One of Jacks’ greatest strengths as a batsman is his ability to hit in the V between extra cover and deep midwicket – either through the gaps between fielders, or over those stationed on the boundary.
Will Jacks has been England’s most influential player at the T20 World Cup – despite accepting a reduced role
He has been the No 7 batsman and the sixth bowler this campaign but had a huge impact
His stride into the ball and breaking of wrists when striking through the off-side is not dissimilar to the technique used by Kevin Pietersen in his pomp.
This skill allows him to delay choosing which side of the wicket he plays straight balls, or those just outside off, until the very last minute – something he did particularly well against Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers at the death in the first Super Eight contest in Pallekele.
With the ball, while Jacks lacks the control of England’s frontline spinners, his ability to extract turn on receptive surfaces was key to two of the wins in the second stage.
He arrived in Sri Lanka with a tournament economy rate nudging 14, but was thrown the new ball by Brook for the meeting with the co-hosts in Pallekele, profiting from keeping a tight line from around the wicket to right handers attacking him without the greatest conviction. His combined figures against the Sri Lankans, Pakistan and New Zealand were five for 72.
Jacks, Surrey’s affable all-rounder, is undoubtedly a confidence player, but also has another side, as became apparent in that Sri Lanka match when he told England captain Brook: ‘I’m better when I’m annoyed.’ He had left the field in the first innings furious with himself for getting out and was desperate to be given a chance to bowl.
His latest firefighting was inspired by someone else, though, he reckons and nominates Rehan Ahmed’s 94-metre six off New Zealand off-spinner Glenn Phillips as the moment of inspiration resulting in 44 unbroken runs coming from just 16 deliveries and sealing a four-wicket win.
‘I knew we needed to do something special and that gave me energy as well,’ he said. ‘And then it’s 6-4-4 and we were on. Small moments like that are so important.’
And there has been no bigger exploiter of those small moments in this competition than Jacks, who claimed an incredible fourth man of the match award in seven World Cup outings in Colombo on Friday night, having played 32 T20I matches without one.
