T20 WC: ‘Credit to the top order,’ says England’s Jacks after blazing fifty against Italy

Kolkata, Feb 16 (IANS) England batter Will Jacks credited the information shared by the top order and favourable batting conditions after smashing a blistering 53 off 22 balls to power his side to 202/7 against Italy in their Group C clash of the ICC Men T20 World Cup at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday.

Jacks’ explosive knock, studded with towering sixes and clean hitting, lifted England past the 200-run mark after they had slipped into a tricky position midway through the innings. His counterattacking approach in the death overs ensured England finished strongly and seized the momentum.

Reflecting on his innings, Jacks emphasised the importance of information relayed by his teammates, which helped him assess the conditions quickly when he arrived at the crease.

“Youve got to give credit to the top-order there, because the way they relayed information is obviously critical in T20 cricket, and I had a very good idea of what the pitch looked like when I went out there,” Jacks said after the end of the first innings.

He also described the surface as one of the best England had encountered in the tournament so far, allowing batters to play their strokes with confidence, saying, “Yeah, it probably the best one weve played on so far, I think. Minimal spin, not much hold with the slower ball, a little bit on the lower side compared to what weve seen at the Wankhede, but it a very good batting track.”

With England posting a formidable total, Jacks said the focus would now shift to executing their plans with the ball against a capable Italian batting unit. “Always available. Just waiting to see what Brooky wants to do. Yeah, it a good score, but weve seen how it been the fastest in this tournament so far, so obviously weve got a dangerous line-up, so were going to have to bowl well,” he said.

Jacks also welcomed Italy’s presence in the tournament, noting that England had closely followed their performances leading up to the contest.

“Well, it brilliant having them in the tournament. I think were lucky that we played them in our last group game, so weve been able to watch them earlier on. So weve learned from how theyve gone about that. I think it about taking care of what you do first and then looking at the opposition,” he stated.

--IANS

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