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England all-rounder Will Jacks expressed excitement about the prospect of facing India in the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. He said, "It would be massive," and acknowledged the "storyline" that revolves around playing against India.
Will Jacks' Player of the Match performance against New Zealand powered England to a four-wicket win at Colombo on Friday. The win marked England's fifth consecutive victory at the tournament and made sure they finished the Super 8s as the Group 1 table-toppers ahead of the semifinals. Coming to Group 2 dynamics, with South Africa already having advanced to the semis with an unbeaten run, whichever team wins the India vs West Indies Super 8s clash, set to take place on Sunday in Kolkata, will qualify for the semis and will face England at the Wankhede Stadium in the second semifinal of the T20 WC 2026. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Will Jacks said a potential semifinal against India would be huge given the narrative around such a clash, but acknowledged that facing the West Indies would also be challenging, especially after their previous loss against them in Mumbai, which came in the group-stage. He added that England will watch Sunday's India vs West Indies game closely and approach the semifinal with optimism and excitement. "It would be massive, yeah. Everyone knows about India and the storyline that that brings. It could also be the West Indies and they've beaten us in Mumbai, so we know how tricky that's going to be. We'll be watching their game Sunday and we'll see the outcome. We'll be prepared and I think we'll go into it with optimism and excitement," Will Jacks said as quoted by the ICC website. Coming to the England vs New Zealand match, the latter posted a fighting total of 159 after batting first. The Black Caps recovered from a mid-innings slump after a brisk start by openers Finn Allen (35) and Tim Seifert (29). For England, Liam Dawson (1/32), Adil Rashid (2/28), Will Jacks (2/23), and Rehan Ahmed (2/28) were among the wicket-takers. Chasing, captain Harry Brook (26), Jacob Bethell (21), Tom Banton (33), Sam Curran (24), and Will Jacks (32*) played fighting knocks as the Three Lions secured a close win by four wickets. (ANI)
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