Pallekele [Sri Lanka], February 22 (ANI): England captain Harry Brook lavished praise on all-rounder Will Jacks following his impressive performance with the ball, highlighting the competitive spirit that makes him a valuable asset to the side.
Will Jacks, who was named Player of the Match, played a crucial role with the ball after he picked up a three-wicket haul in England’s 51-run win over co-hosts Sri Lanka in the Super 8 clash at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday. With the bat, the all-rounder scored a vital 14-ball 21, including four boundaries.
Speaking during the post-match press conference, English skipper Brook revealed that Jacks was frustrated with himself after getting out.
“Yeah, he is a very competitive lad. He was annoyed after getting out tonight, and I think after his first over, he was like, I always bowl better when I’m annoyed,” Brook said.
The England skipper added that Jacks’ intensity influenced his decision to hand the all-rounder a full quota of overs. “So that was one of the reasons why I kept him on and bowled him four overs,” Brook explained.
The all-rounder delivered a strong spell (3/22), proving his worth as a multi-dimensional cricketer. Brook described him as the “perfect player” for the team setup, emphasising his ability to contribute across departments.
“But he’s just that perfect player, really, and he’s the jack of all trades; he can do everything, and he’s awesome in the field with the bat, and then, like we’ve seen tonight, he was very good with the ball,” Brook added.
The England captain said, “He’s had three Man of the Match awards so far in this World Cup and I still don’t even think he’s played his best cricket yet. So that’s another exciting thing that we can hopefully witness when he gets going with the bat as well at the back end.”
Coming to the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl first, and their bowlers ripped out the heart of England’s batting by removing Buttler (7), Jacob Bethell (3), Tom Banton (6), Harry Brook (14) and Sam Curran (11), reducing them to 94/5 in 13.2 overs.
It was Salt’s valiant 62 and a quick cameo of 21 in 14 balls, with four boundaries from Will Jacks that pushed England towards 146/9 in 20 overs.
Dunith Wellalage (3/26 in four overs) and Maheesh Theekshana (2/21 in four overs) managed to tame England against spin, a key weakness of theirs, while Dilshan Madushanka (2/25 in four overs) and Dushmantha Chameera (1/34 in four overs) also got wickets.
Chasing 147, Sri Lanka were off to the worst possible start as they lost their first five batters in the power play. Pathum Nissanka (9 off 8 balls, with two fours), Kusal Mendis (4 off four balls, with one four), Pavan Rathnayake (0), Kamil Mishara (6 off 11 balls, with one four), and Dunith Wellalage (10 runs off 10 balls, with two fours) had a dismal outing with the bat.
Speedster Jofra Archer and off-spinner Will Jacks were the top bowlers for England in the power play as Sri Lanka crawled to 34/5 in six overs.
Kamindu Mendis (13 off 11 balls, with one four and one six) couldn’t convert his start after he was dismissed by Liam Dawson.
Towards the end, captain Dasun Shanaka (30 off 24 balls, with one four and two sixes) tried his best, but the rest of the batters failed to support him as Sri Lanka were bundled out for just 95 in 16.4 overs, losing the contest by 51 runs.
It was a collective performance from England bowlers as Jofra Archer (2/20 in three overs), Will Jacks (3/22 in four overs), Liam Dawson (2/27 in four overs), Adil Rashid (2/13 in 3.4 overs), and Jamie Overton (1/13 in two overs).
With this victory, England clinched its 12th straight win in T20I cricket. (ANI)
