mumbai: There are smoother teams in this T20 World Cup, and there are more dominant ones. But few enter the last four as intriguing — or as dangerous — as England, who have stitched together a campaign built on late-order nerve,
new-ball precision and a stubborn refusal to play the same game twice.
Their progress has not been founded on perfection. The top-order has flickered, partnerships have rarely settled, and their best XI still feels fluid rather than fixed. Yet England have won six of seven matches and reached a fifth successive semi-final — a remarkable stretch of consistency in cricket’s most volatile format, suggesting something sturdier than passing form.
At the centre of that resilience stands Will Jacks, arguably the tournament’s most influential all-rounder. Batting at No. 7, Jacks has scored 162 runs in the death overs — the most by any player in the competition — and 191 overall, the highest tally by anyone outside the top four. With the ball, he has provided vital overs of off-spin, frequently serving as the sixth option behind captain Harry Brook’s frontline attack.
His four Player-of-the-Match awards already equal Shane Watson’s record for a single men’s T20 World Cup. More telling is the timing: against Nepal, Italy, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, his interventions have turned drift into control, vulnerability into command.
If Jacks has finished games, Jofra Archer has shaped their beginnings. After an expensive start to the tournament, Archer has rediscovered his bite with the new ball, taking eight of his 10 wickets in the powerplay. England’s 18 powerplay wickets rank among the tournament’s best, and Archer’s 66 dot balls in the first six overs underline how effectively he has choked opponents at the outset.
The one unresolved element remains top-order. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler have averaged just 12 as an opening pair, while the top six’s collective average of 21.9 is among the lowest of the semifinalists. Starts have been frequent; substantial scores, scarce. Yet England’s campaign has thrived on different match-winners emerging at different moments. Brook’s century against Pakistan remains their most complete batting display, while the lower order — led by Jacks and supported by Sam Curran — has repaired early damage.
Now they return to the Wankhede Stadium for a semifinal against India, a ground of mixed memories:
defeat to West Indies earlier in this tournament, and a heavy loss to India in a bilateral series last year.