T20 WC: Will Jacks equals this record of Shane Watson
What's the story
England all-rounder Will Jacks has matched Australian legend Shane Watson for the most Player of the Match awards in a single ICC T20 World Cup. Jacks achieved this feat after his stellar performance against New Zealand in a Super 8 match, his fourth such honor in the ongoing tournament. Watson's record was set during the 2012 edition of the tournament, which took place in Sri Lanka.
Performance highlights
Watson's stellar performance in the 2012 T20 World Cup
Watson had a stellar all-round performance in the 2012 T20 World Cup, finishing as the highest run-scorer with 249 runs and second-highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets. Jacks has been in sensational form throughout the ongoing tournament, delivering impactful performances with both bat and ball. He first earned his POTM award against Nepal for his unbeaten 39 runs and a two-over spell of 1/17 in the first innings.
Match details
Jacks's match-winning performances in the ongoing tournament
Jacks scored an unbeaten 53 runs and took one wicket for 34 runs against Italy, earning another POTM award. He then scored 21 runs off 14 balls and took three wickets for 22 runs against Sri Lanka, winning his third POTM award. After winning his fourth award after a match-winning performance against New Zealand, Jacks said it was the best of his four POTM awards in this tournament.
Post-match remarks
'Absolutely buzzing,' Will Jacks on his POTM award
In the post-match presentation, Jacks reflected on the high-pressure situation and said he was "absolutely buzzing" with the performance. He admitted that when he walked in to bat, the game was finely poised. "I reckon this is the best (of his four POTM awards). Absolutely buzzing with that. When I went in there, it was on a knife's edge," Jacks said after England's narrow victory over New Zealand.
Match recap
How did the NZ-ENG Super Eight match pan out?
New Zealand set a challenging target of 159 runs after a strong start from openers Finn Allen (35) and Tim Seifert (29). With the ball, Will Jacks claimed 2/26 in his four overs. In the chase, England lost regular wickets as they required 43 runs in the last three overs, with only four wickets to spare. Jacks (32* off 18) partnered with Rehan Ahmed (19* off 7) as England got home with three balls remaining.