Will Jacks equals Shane Watson's long-standing T20 World Cup record

COLOMBO: England all-rounder Will Jacks on Friday equalled Australia legend Shane Watson's 14-year-old record of winning four Player of the Match awards in a single edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Jacks played a pivotal role in England's hard-earned four-wicket victory over New Zealand here at the R Premadasa Stadium earlier today by backing up his economical bowling figures of 2/23 in his four overs with a swashbuckling 32-run unbeaten cameo off 18 deliveries and was thus adjudged the Player of the Match award.

The award marked Jacks's fourth in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, having previously claimed the laurel against Nepal, Italy and Sri Lanka, respectively.

As a result, Jacks became only the second player in the history of the tournament to win four Player of the Match awards in a single edition, joining Australia's Watson, who set the benchmark in 2012.

Watson won the Player of the Match awards in Australia's group-stage matches of the T20 World Cup 2012 against Ireland, West Indies, India and South Africa, respectively.

Jacks has been instrumental in England's ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, having scored 191 runs in seven innings at a magnificent average of 63.66 and a whopping strike rate of 176.85 with the help of one half-century.

The 27-year-old also has seven wickets to his name in the mega event at an average of 22.14 with the best bowling figures of 3/22, which he registered against Sri Lanka in England's Super Eights campaign opener on Sunday.

Notably, Jacks has a maximum of two matches to surpass Watson's tally of four Player of the Match awards in a single edition of a T20 World Cup, as two-time champions England have qualified for the semi-finals of the ongoing tournament by winning each of their three Super Eights matches against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand, respectively.