T20 World Cup 2026, England: Where there is a will there is Jacks

Will Jacks, who entered the T20 World Cup unsure whether he would even make England’s squad, has become the defining figure of their campaign. England have won every match except the one against West Indies, and in each of those victories, Jacks has been the one dragging them out of trouble. 

Four pressure situations, four rescues, and one man at the centre of all of them. England came to this World Cup searching for stability; they found it in a player who wasn’t even guaranteed a place on the flight.

Turning up for England’s rescue again and again

England’s opener against Nepal was slipping into embarrassment. At 137 for five in the 16th over, they were staring at a below‑par total until Jacks detonated the innings. His unbeaten 39 off 18, one four, four sixes, a strike rate of 216.66, powered England to 184. He then removed Kushal Bhurtel, sealing a Player of the Match performance that saved England from a humiliating start.

The script repeated itself. At 105 for five in another group game against Italy, England were again sinking. Jacks responded with an unbeaten 53 off 22 at a strike rate of 240.90, lifting them beyond 200 and adding a wicket to his tally. Another rescue act. Another Player of the Match award.

In the Super Eight clash against Sri Lanka, he delivered yet again. A 14-ball 21 at 150, followed by a superb 3 for 22, broke the game open and handed England a commanding win, and Jacks his third POTM of the tournament.

And then came the Kiwis. Chasing 160 in a tense, high-stakes Super Eight finale, England needed composure. Jacks provided it. His 32* off 18, after taking 2 for 23 with the ball, sealed a narrow win and earned him a fourth Player of the Match award. 

Flourishing in a new role shaped by lessons from Virat Kohli

Jacks is naturally a top‑order or middle‑order batter, but England have reimagined him as a lower‑order finisher, a role requiring clarity. Those qualities were sharpened during his time at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL, where he shared a dressing room with Virat Kohli.

“He’s [Virat] a very good role model,” Jacks said before the 2024 T20 World Cup. “His intensity, everything he does is 100 per cent attention.” 

Jacks spoke of learning how to chase, how to pace an innings, how to stay present under pressure, lessons Kohli taught him in real time.

“The way he approaches all the training and every aspect of the game off the field, his intensity, everything he does is a 100 per cent attention.

“He’s done it for such a long time and I can appreciate that as a young guy who often doesn’t want to do the hard yards, but you see him doing it and want to copy that.

“When we were batting together, he was coaching me through there. I learned some valuable things about chasing in that innings and pacing the game, which was really helpful."

Those lessons are now England’s lifeline. Jacks’ finishing has been clinical. He has become the player England turn to when the game tightens, or the chase threatens to slip.

Will Jacks now stands as England’s most indispensable cricketer. For England to clinch their third title, Jacks needs to script more heroic acts and continue the way he knows best.