One of the stories of the last IPL was Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s comeback from the dead. After winning just one of their first eight games, the RCB men won six on the trot to qualify for the playoffs. Will Jacks, who made his IPL debut during the season, played his part: his stunning 41-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad was a masterclass of T20 batting.
Jacks’ Test debut against Pakistan in late 2022 was just as stunning: he was told he was in the team just two minutes before the toss at Rawalpindi. He took six wickets with his off-spin — his maiden five-for in First Class cricket — and helped England score a remarkable victory on a flat pitch. The all-rounder spoke to The Hindu over the phone from Manchester during England’s ongoing white-ball series against Australia. Excerpts:
How do you view this series against England’s arch rival Australia?
I am excited as I really enjoy playing ODI cricket. I have had a small taste of it for England. I am enjoying the format because I feel it is a nice mix of T20 and Test. You have got enough time to give yourself a proper chance but you can still have the attacking instincts.
How important do you think such a bilateral series is, despite criticism from certain quarters of it being meaningless?
I think any time you play for your country, it is an important series. And England against Australia is the oldest rivalry. It has been around for 150 years. As a player, it’s my first time. I only played against Australia one game in the World Cup. So it is huge. It is for every single player who is playing in it. Every time you put on that shirt, it is really important.
Brendon McCullum is taking over as England’s white-ball coach.
It is really exciting. I have had a little bit of experience with Baz, having done two Test tours. The amount of positivity and energy he brings to the group and the amount of confidence he gives you as a player is second to none. And he makes you feel brilliant about your own personal game. Hopefully he can bring what he has done successfully with the Test group to the white-ball set-up and then we can emulate some of the successes they have had.
Thrown in at the deep end: Jacks’ six for 161 from 40.3 overs on Test debut in Pakistan was the first time he had bowled such a long spell. | Photo credit: Getty Images
How much do you think he has changed English cricket?
I think it is a mindset change. It is the positivity. It is wanting to take the game on at all stages, put everyone under pressure, instead of never taking a backward step. That is a good mindset to have right through the whole English cricket system. So that when players come fresh into the set-up, it is not a surprise, and everyone knows what they are getting. It gives the players complete confidence in themselves.
How do you find McCullum off the field?
He is very relaxed. He enjoys his golf. He enjoys just having a laugh. He doesn’t put too much onus on the opposition. He knows everyone is good enough. So if we perform well, we will be good enough to win. He doesn’t put players under too much pressure. He is just a nice guy to be around.
You had a remarkable Test debut against Pakistan a couple of years ago under him. You had a role to play in one of England’s greatest Test wins.
Yeah, it is an amazing memory for me to look back on. Obviously, it was a strange scenario. I wasn’t meant to play until about two minutes before the toss. So it was a strange week as a whole. I think that week encapsulates a lot about what Brendon and the whole English set-up is. We had a load of ill players and we could have tried to delay the game, but we were very keen to play. We gave it everything we had and we worked until the last 10 minutes on an incredibly flat pitch. I think it would have resulted in a draw 90 percent of the time, if not for the way we played and the positivity we showed.
And it was quite an advertisement for Bazball. England made 657 at 6.5 runs an over in the first innings, and then declared the second innings after scoring at 7.36…
Such games and the results have been amazing to watch — the positivity shown straight away from ball one on day one up until the last ball on day five.
You didn’t have such a long spell — six for 161 from 40.3 overs — before, did you?
That was the first time I bowled such a lengthy spell. I have done it a few times since. I think it is always easier the second and third time. I wasn’t expecting to bowl that many. We had a few spinners in the team. Liam Livingstone was injured early, so I had to bowl more. It was a bit of a long slog and a long toil, but yeah, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I took confidence from that. Whenever I have played red-ball cricket since, I have done pretty well with the ball.
Delayed detonation: Jacks says his incredible hundred in the IPL gave him the confidence that he could ‘explode later on in an innings’. | Photo credit: Vijay Soneji
How do you look back at that IPL hundred?
With a lot of fondness. I think the way the innings went, we were chasing a big score and I got off to a slow start.
You were 16 off as many balls after 10 overs…
Yes, the innings has given me a lot of confidence that I can do that coming in outside the Powerplay. I don’t need to take too many risks early on. I trust my ability to take it really deep and explode later on in the innings. There was a massive crowd and obviously that big partnership with Virat [Kohli] is something I will look back on with great memories in the future.
What makes Kohli special?
He leaves nothing to chance. He practises to the last second and he gives himself the best opportunity to perform every game. And he plays every game like it is his last. He goes through every single thing before finishing and he is probably the hardest worker there.
The batters you have admired growing up?
My idol growing up was Kevin Pietersen. During the 2005 Ashes I was six years old and he was making his debut. He was at the forefront of that series and I remember his knock at the Oval on the final day. From that moment on, he was my hero. I have admired A.B. de Villiers, too. Across all formats, he is as good as it gets. Every time he was on the TV, I made sure I was there watching.
The toughest bowlers you have faced?
Rashid Khan, Dale Steyn, whom I faced a couple of times in county cricket, and Kagiso Rabada.
(This interview was facilitated by Sony Sports Network, which is broadcasting the ongoing England-Australia ODI series)
Published – September 20, 2024 11:17 pm IST
