Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and its supporters were on cloud nine on January 18 after two young swashbuckling batters from its roster sizzled with centuries. After Rajat Patidar whacked an unbeaten 140 runs off just 132 balls while playing for India A in the first unofficial Test against England Lions, it was overseas recruit Will Jacks' time to join the party. The 25-year-old England batter played a pulverising knock of 101 runs in just 42 balls for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20 match against Durban Super Giants.
Jacks, who missed the entire IPL 2023 campaign with an injury, gave an excellent account of his destructive stroke-making skills against a bowling attack comprising Reece Topley, Keshav Maharaj and Marcus Stoinis. The right-handed opening batter displayed aggression right from the onset and unleashed some outrageous shots en route to his century.
Be it dancing down the track and smoking the ball straight over the bowler's head or the stand and deliver stuff, Jacks dug deep in his repertoire and showcased all his skills. Overall, the 25-year-old smashed eight fours and nine towering sixes during his knock in which he batted with a stunning strike rate of 240.48.
It was because of Jacks' belligerence that the Capitals posted a mammoth score of 204/9 in 20 overs. The target of 205 runs proved to be an unassailable task for the Super Giants as they could only manage to score 187/7 in their 20 overs and fell short of victory by 17 runs.
Talking about Jacks, the English batter is yet to play a match in the IPL. Having said that, the right-handed batter's exploits in the shortest format of the game have made headlines regularly. In T20s, Jacks has scored 3,892 in 139 innings at a strike rate of 158.72 and an average of 29.93. He has also represented England in 11 T20Is.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Virat Kohli's teammate whacks gutsy 140 to rescue India from 95/7 against England Lions in 1st unofficial Test
BREAKING: New Zealand cricket team rocked by COVID-19 ahead of 4th T20I against Pakistan, 2 more cases confirmed after Mitchell Santner's positive test
