Kolkata, Feb 16 (IANS) England all-rounder Will Jacks said his maiden T20I half-century was ‘long time coming’ after delivering a match-winning performance to guide his side into the Super Eights of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with victory over Italy in their Group C clash at the Eden Gardens.

“We spoke about the last few games, keeping our intent up. I think we’ve been a little bit static at times and we understood it was a very good surface and we know this is incredibly fast scoring ground. So you never know, batting first, what is enough. So that was the intent the whole way through,” Jacks said during the post-match presentation after being named Player of the Match.

Jacks played a crucial role in England posting a formidable 202/7, anchoring the innings with a composed unbeaten 53 and ensuring his side maintained momentum on a high-scoring surface. Reflecting on his milestone knock, Jacks expressed satisfaction at finally reaching the landmark after adapting to different roles within the team.

“It feels like that’s been a long time coming. There’s been a few role changes in there and taken a while. So it’s nice to get that one. I feel like I’m settling into my role down the order quite nicely now,” he said.

He also explained his approach to scoring on a ground known for its short straight boundaries, emphasising the importance of targeting key areas, stating, “Always look straight. It’s a short boundary down the ground, and they were looking to hit the blockhole late. So we always aim straight and adjust from there.”

Jacks’ contribution was not limited to batting, as he also delivered a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Italy captain Ben Manenti, whose explosive innings had threatened to turn the match.

“Yeah, well he played unbelievably well and he was striking the ball better than any of us. Originally I was trying to bowl full and straight and missed slightly and he was good enough to hit that. So I tried to change and go wide and thankfully got that wicket. If he batted for a few more overs, who knew what could have happened,” he noted.

Despite England sealing qualification, Jacks admitted the team still had areas to improve heading into the next stage of the tournament. Looking ahead to the Super Eights, he acknowledged the challenges posed by new conditions and opposition.

“Yeah, well that’s the most important thing that we’ve qualified. It doesn’t matter how you do that. We know we need to be a lot better. Simple as that. We’re going to Sri Lanka now, different conditions, new opposition. We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on and we’ll try our best,” he concluded.

–IANS

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