Finishing innings has not been a problem for England in this T20 World Cup, and that is largely down to Will Jacks. The number 7 has been his team's MVP with four man-of-the-match awards and 191 runs in seven innings with a strike price of 176.85.
Without Jacks' 39 off 20 balls against Nepal and his unbeaten 53 off 22 against another associate nation in Italy, England could plausibly have lost those games and been eliminated with a whimper. Coach Brendon McCullum, already under pressure after the Ashes debacle earlier in the winter, surely would not have survived that embarrassment.
The best of Will Jacks' first fifty T20 internationals, an innings that saved England against Italy and helped the team reach the World Cup's Tremendous 8
Jacks was a big help early on, then, and continues to be so, contributing a useful 21 and three wickets in the win over Sri Lanka, 28 in the triumph against Pakistan, and then a defiant 32 off 18 balls against New Zealand as England ended a Super 8 stage in which they remained unbeaten with a winning knock.
As McCullum's men prepare for their seismic semifinal against India in Mumbai on Thursday (1:30 p.m. UK time, live on Sky Sport Cricket), another late show from Jacks would be welcome—and perhaps necessary if Jos Buttler and Phil Salt fail again at the top of the order. The Surrey all-rounder has turned into an expert finisher. Not bad for a guy who spent most of his career as a starter, trotting out to open.
Why is Jacks thriving as a finisher?
Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who worked with Jacks at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League, told Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: "I didn't think Jacks could do as good a job as he has done, I have to admit.
"He's opened his whole life and even at RCB, when he batted at number 3, he felt a bit out of place at first. Jacks won four awards for best player at this year's T20 World Cup "It's a different feeling coming in when everyone is on the field. It changes your mindset. How do you take singles? How do you reach the boundary? Your first boundary is full of risk most of the time.
"I'm amazed at how he's adapted to the role: it's phenomenal to see how he manages to take singles, rotate the shot, and then launch himself into the back. He's also played some difficult shots, so he can only be even better on flat shots with dew. "The fact that he's an offside player has helped because at death, the balls to play seem to be the slower ball bounce and the wide New Yorker.
"The wide Yorker falls beautifully into his arc—he's able to cover the blankets. Even when the field is ready for that, he keeps backing up to hit it. Then when they come at him, he can lunge from the leg side. Finishing is England's superpower. Getting started, on the other hand, has been a fair struggle. Hussain: Buttler was made for occasions like this. So far, England's Jos Buttler has struggled with the bat at the T20 World Cup. Will he bounce back against India in the semi-finals?
The much-vaunted opening partnership of Salt and Buttler has a top score of 38 in this World Cup. Two games ago against Pakistan, he scored zero and then only two against New Zealand: England now hopes he can play again in Sunday's final.
At least Salt has half a century in the tournament, 62 hard-earned runs against Sri Lanka. Buttler's best is 26. He hasn't scored more than seven in each of his last five innings. England's greatest ever white-ball batsman has an average of 8.86. His future has been called into question. But Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain would not be surprised if we saw classic Buttler turn up against India in such a high-stakes competition and if the 35-year-old took inspiration from the “f*** it” mantra he writes on his bats.
The former England captain said: "That's what Buttler does. I think in recent games he's taken a direction to give himself a chance, but now he could go in the opposite direction. “He has something written on his bat that I can't repeat, but basically it says: ‘When in doubt, go for it’. I think he will because this is the kind of occasion Jos Buttler is made for.” “Buttler needs to trust how good he is” Dinesh Karthik on Jos Buttler's struggles
“I could be completely wrong, but looking at him, he seems like someone who takes his game a little too personally. He's so good, so threatening as an opener, and he needs to trust that deep down. “He had the perfect template where he gets three or more balls in and then plays an unorthodox shot most of the time to get ahead. Then he keeps attacking you, which is so difficult for a captain to deal with. “When I watch Jos Buttler and this guy looking for runs, there’s a clear difference in body language. That’s what I’d like to talk about, to ask if it’s weighing him down. "
Buttler fired against India in the 2022 T20 World Cup semifinal in Adelaide, hammering nine fours and three sixes in an unbeaten 80 off 49 balls as his team raced to a 10-wicket victory, albeit against a team missing Jasprit Bumrah due to injury. Bumrah played in India's 68-run defeat to England in the 2024 semifinal in the Caribbean, and although he did not dismiss Buttler—Axar Patel did—he bowled Salt's opening partner en route to figures of 2-12 from 2.4 overs.
The Bumrah conundrum in India
How India deploys its star bowler in Thursday's semifinal has been a hot topic of conversation, particularly with England skipper Harry Brook, perhaps the key wicket after his stunning 50-ball century from third place against Pakistan recently.
Opinion is divided between Karthik and Hussain.
England captain Harry Brook talks to Sky Sports' Ian Ward about his 50-ball century against Pakistan. Karthik said: "I would bring Bumrah on later: the biggest wicket right now is Brook, and I would keep him for that. "I think Bumrah and [spinner] Varun Chakravarthy bowling in tandem would be a great pairing with Brook as you have to get him out early. He can change the game at the top.
“I think Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya are a good pairing for Buttler and Salt. Salt has struggled against Arshdeep in the past, although he has overcome that a bit.” Hussain countered by saying, “I wouldn’t hold Bumrah for the middle order. I would strike early, make sure I get Buttler or Salt early and keep England under control. “India has Chakravarthy, who has a good record against Brook. Brook couldn’t pick him at all during England’s tour of India last year.”
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