England all-rounder Will Jacks said Harry Brooke’s side does not need to play a perfect game to win the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. Jacks said results were more important than perfection, adding that England had won six of their seven games 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 top of Group Two after winning all three Super 8 games. Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed played a crucial role in leading the team to victory.

No one really cares about perfect games – Will Jacks

Will Jacks says England don’t need to play a perfect game to win the T20 World Cup. He said results are more important than perfect performances, especially in T20 cricket. The all-rounder added that such performances are difficult to achieve.

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“Well, the short answer is no. We’ve won six of seven games and already qualified for the semifinals. At the end of the day, no one really cares about (a perfect game),” Jakes said.

“We obviously want to play well there but we’re not frustrated that we’re not playing a perfect game because we’re winning. This is T20 cricket, this is professional sport. It’s also very difficult to do that,” he added.

We keep a cool head and a clear mind – Will Jacks

Will Jacks says England’s strength is their ability to stay calm and make the right decisions in important moments, which has helped them cope with pressure well.

“You’re facing a very good team that’s as prepared as you are, they know what they’re going to do and they’re trying to play the perfect game. So the chances of that happening are very slim. What we did well is we stayed calm and clear-headed in the critical moments and we negotiated successfully,” Jakes said.

I knew we needed to do something special – Will Jacks

The 27-year-old admitted that he felt nervous during the chase after seeing Sri Lanka struggle with New Zealand’s spin team chasing a similar target on the same pitch. Jakes said the pressure eased when Rehan Ahmed attacked Glenn Phillips in the 18th over, which ended with 22 runs.

“I know it’s a tall order,” Jacks said. “We watched Sri Lanka play on this pitch two days ago and how New Zealand bowled and I saw firsthand what our batsmen were finding when they bowled. I knew that was a lot of runs. So I knew we needed to do something special.”

“That ball Rayhan hit, that six off the second ball, gave me energy as well. I thought, ‘Okay, we have a chance here’. And then obviously I got six, four, four overs and then we advanced. I think hours like this The moment was huge, not just the runs but the way it happened, hitting a big six and really showing the bowlers that you are here and we believe we can win this game was really crucial and from that moment on I think the mentality changed.”

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