Will Jacks is hoping long-time teammate Harry Brook will be able to leave behind the recent controversies and focus on his cricket during their T20 World Cup campaign. England’s opener is against Nepal on Sunday.
The England limited-overs captain’s confrontation with a nightclub bouncer in a New Zealand pub late last year has dominated the headlines since the Ashes. Last week Brook was forced to issue a second apology for his off-field behaviour, after it was revealed that he had lied about the details of the incident.
“It’s not so much momentum, it’s more about team unity and feeling strong within ourselves,” Jacks said. “We have been performing well over the last 12 months, since Harry’s become captain, and we’re very happy with that. What we did in the last few weeks in Sri Lanka (winning both the ODI and T20I series) is another stepping stone to that.
“We come here full of confidence and belief, which is obviously very important. But that doesn’t guarantee us anything. We know that there’s amazing teams in this World Cup. Knock-out cricket, if we get there, is tricky. But India on home soil, I think everyone knows they’re the favourites and the team to beat.”
Brook had recently said he would need to “win back the trust of his players” following the controversies. But Jacks doesn’t read much into it.
“We go back a long way. We were roommates at the Under-19s. So for him now to be captain is pretty cool for me. Obviously, it’s been a tough time that’s been well-documented.
“His kind of character is always looking on the brighter side of life... He knows what he’s done, and there’s nothing you can change about that, so there’s no point focusing on it too much.”
