England all-rounder Will Jacks wowed spectators during Surrey’s T20 Blast match against Middlesex on Thursday with his powerful hitting. Jacks hit Luke Hollman for five consecutive sixes in the 11th over, just missing out on equalling the record held by former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and ex-South Africa batter Herschelle Gibbs. On the final ball of the over, Jacks couldn’t quite hit a full toss for a sixth six, fluffing his pull shot and earning only a single run. He was visibly disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to enter the record books.
Jacks was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 3.2 crore at the player auction in December 2020 but missed out on the recently-concluded Indian Premier League season due to injury. Jacks made his debut for England in all three formats this year, winning his T20I and Test caps in Pakistan before making his first ODI appearance in Bangladesh.
During the match, Jacks scored 96 off just 45 deliveries, while Laurie Evans contributed an impressive 85 off 37 balls to take Surrey to a mammoth total of 252/7 at The Oval. However, Middlesex chased down the total with ease thanks to captain Stephen Eskinazi’s 73 off 39 balls and Max Holden’s unbeaten 65 off 38 balls.
Jacks’ performance demonstrates that he is a force to be reckoned with, and his hitting ability adds an extra edge to any team he is part of. It remains to be seen if he will participate in the next edition of the IPL, but his performance in the T20 Blast sends a clear message that he is a player to watch out for in the future.
