England all-rounder Will Jacks said the Harry Brook-led side does not need to play a perfect game to claim the title at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Jack said results are more important than perfection, adding that England have won six of their seven matches so far in the marquee tournament.
England registered a four-wicket win over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday, February 27. They finished on top of Group 2 after winning all three of their Super 8 matches. Will Jacques and Rehan Ahmed played important roles in helping the team win.
Nobody Really Cares About a Perfect Game – Will Jacques
Will Jacques said that England does not need to play a perfect game to win the T20 World Cup. He said that especially in T20 cricket, results matter more than impeccable performance. The all-rounder said that it is very difficult to achieve this kind of performance.
“Well, the short answer is no. We’ve won six out of seven games and we’ve qualified for the semi-finals. At the end of the day, nobody really cares [about the perfect game],” Jack said.
“We obviously want to play well out there, but we’re not disappointed that we didn’t play the right game because we’re winning. And that’s T20 cricket, that’s a professional game. It’s incredibly difficult to do that,” he said.
We have kept a cool and clear mind – Will Jacques
Will Jacques said that England’s strength is their ability to remain calm during crucial moments and take the right decisions, which has helped them handle pressure situations well.
Jacques said, “You are playing against a very strong team who have prepared just like you and they know what they are trying to do and they are also trying to make the right play. So the chances of that happening are very low. We have done well, in the important moments, we have kept a calm and clear head and we have managed to negotiate them well.”
Jacques became only the second player to win four Player of the Match awards in the same edition of the T20 World Cup. He scored an important unbeaten 32 against New Zealand and also took two wickets.
I knew we needed to do something special – Will Jacques
The 27-year-old admitted that he felt nervous watching Sri Lanka struggle against New Zealand’s spinners on the same pitch while chasing the same target. Jaques said the pressure eased when Rehan Ahmed attacked Glenn Phillips in the 18th over, in which 22 runs were scored.
“I knew it was a big task,” Jacques said. “We watched Sri Lanka play on this pitch two nights ago and how well New Zealand were bowling, and I saw our batsmen bowl on it themselves. I knew there were a lot of runs to be had. So I knew we needed to do something special.”
“That ball that Rehan hit, the six on the second ball, that gave me energy as well. And I thought, ‘Okay, we’ve got a chance here’. And then obviously I finished the over 6, 4, 4 and, we were ahead. I think little moments like that [are] So important and not just the runs but the way it happens, hitting a big six and really showing the bowler that you are here and we believe we can win this is really important and from that moment I think the mentality has changed.
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