Will Jacks, England’s off-spinning all-rounder, has been hailed as a “winner” by his head coach at Surrey, Gareth Batty, who expressed no surprise at the player’s stellar performances at the T20 World Cup.
Jacks has been instrumental in England’s campaign, collecting four player of the match awards, a feat that equals Australia’s Shane Watson’s record from the 2012 tournament.
Batty’s belief in Jacks dates back four years when he made the unconventional decision to name him Surrey’s primary spinner, prioritising his all-round capabilities and batting depth over more specialised options.
At the time, Batty drew comparisons between Jacks and Moeen Ali, a parallel that has resurfaced as Jacks navigates an equally unfamiliar role with England’s white-ball side, batting at number seven rather than his customary top-three position.
“I’ve seen it for years, it’s not a surprise in any way,” Batty told the Press Association. “He’s a winner, he’s very competitive and I think he’s an all-format player.
“He’s getting more of the the limelight now in the shorter format, but if he can keep growing and learning from his experiences… I said it in 2022, I think he is this era’s equivalent of Moeen Ali.”
Batty elaborated on the comparison, adding: “Hopefully he can go on beyond what Moeen achieved – and I don’t mean that disrespectfully to Moeen and I certainly don’t mean it disrespectfully that Jacksy is not quite Moeen. He’s an evolving spinner.
“Time is the difference between both careers. But I said before he played international cricket that he is of that sort of quality. A bit of luck and opportunity and who knows where it ends?”
Jacks has experienced a transformative winter, initially selected as Shoaib Bashir’s back-up for the Ashes before being thrust into four Test matches, bowling part-time spin and batting at number eight.
While his full potential was only glimpsed in Australia, he has made significant contributions to nearly every England victory in India and Sri Lanka, propelling them into this week’s semi-finals.
“I suppose the super impressive part of it is his trade is opening the batting,” Batty noted, ahead of England’s clash with India in Mumbai.
“For him to adapt to the role of finisher is not a surprise because of his skillset and the way he strikes a ball but it’s impressive to put that marker down and really make that role his own.
“His stock ball is also very good. If he just runs up and bowls and doesn’t try anything technical, no pressure, he’s as good as most spinners around the world.”
Batty, a former England spinner himself, believes these varied experiences are crucial for Jacks’ development.
“All these experiences are just going to make him better. That’s the problem with spin bowling: you need the experiences to get better sometimes.
“But he’s been quite magnificent at having his process nailed down in the last few years and not getting dragged into overthinking things. He’s keeping things simple.”
Jacks, who has bleached his hair for the tournament and earned the nickname ‘Slim Shady’ among his teammates, was out of England’s reckoning across all formats just 12 months ago.
However, Batty readily accepts that if the 27-year-old continues his upward trajectory, Surrey will see little of him at the Kia Oval in the coming years.
“It’s great, the kid is flying and we don’t want to see him back here for a long time,” Batty concluded. “We want to see him keep doing what he’s doing.”
