PAK vs ENG, 3rd T20I: Who is 23-year-old Will Jacks?
England opener Will Jacks bashed a 22-ball 40 on his T20I debut against Pakistan on Friday. Jacks, who replaced Alex Hales in the final XI, willed all his 100 T20 experiences to dish a cracker of an innings. The right-hander belted eight fours before slogsweeping Usman Qadir's tossed-up delivery straight to Mohammad Nawaz at deep mid-wicket. We decode his profile.
A look at his domestic career
Playing for Surrey, Jacks marked his List A debut in May 2018. He has since amassed 506 runs, striking at 95.65. The Surrey-born debuted in FC cricket a month later. He holds 1,790 FC runs at 35.09 (100s: 3, 50s: 12). Meanwhile, Jacks has slammed 2,532 T20 runs at 29.44, striking at a jaw-dropping rate of 154.67 (100s:1, 50s: 20).
Jacks set the stage ablaze in The Hundred 2022
Prior to the T20I series, Jacks was in action for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred 2022, wherein he thumped a 48-ball 108 for the Southern Brave. It remains the highest score in the history of the tournament. The prolific batter wound up as the fourth-highest run-getter this season, amassing 261 runs at 43.50, striking at a phenomenal rate of 171.71.
Jacks' performance in franchise cricket
Jacks has been a serial run-getter for Chattogram Challengers in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He has accumulated 414 runs in 11 innings, averaging 41.40 and striking at 155.05. He has also featured for Hobart Hurricanes in Big Bash League (BBL) 2020-21 and Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021-22. As for Vitality Blast, Jacks managed 449 runs in 2022, striking at over 140.
Jacks owns a T10 hundred to his name
Jacks shot to fame with a defiant 25-ball hundred in a pre-season 10-over duel against Lancashire in 2019. He remained unscathed on 105* from 30 deliveries. The hard-hitter made a mockery of his rivals, dispatching 11 sixes, with six of those in an over of spinner Stephen Parry. As per BBC, Jacks surpassed Hales (87) to become the first Englishman with a T10 hundred.
Jacks rampaged against Lancashire's bowling attack
How did the third T20I pan out?
Put to bat, England fumbled as they lost opener Philip Salt in the third over. They picked steam but wound up on 82/3 in 8.3 overs. Brook and Duckett's 139*-run stand guided the Three Lions to 221/3. Later, Pakistan's top-order batters recorded single-digit scores. Shan Masood, who notched his maiden T20 fifty (66*), and Khushdil Shah (29) showed some resistance, but it wasn't enough.
