It was a single shot in an innings of 7 off 7 balls that convinced Harry Brook his decision to pick Will Jacks as England's No. 7 was the right one.
Jacks had only once batted outside of the top six in a seven-year T20 career before Brook, his former Under-19s captain, took charge of England's white-ball teams last June. A top-order batter by trade, he had batted exclusively in the top three across 21 T20I innings and had underwhelmed for England, averaging 18.23 while never surpassing the 40 that he made on debut.
But Brook was determined to find a role for him, and thought there was merit in picking a "proper batter" at No. 7. Jacks' first-ball cover drive for two off Jason Holder in a scrappy win over West Indies in Bristol was enough for Brook to feel vindicated in his preference to shift a top-order player down the order, rather than picking a specialist lower-order hitter.
"He came out and he just leant on his first ball for four through the covers - or two, or whatever - and that's just a good sign," Brook said after Jacks' 32 not out off 18 balls rescued England's run chase against New Zealand in Colombo, a result which ensured they topped their Super Eight group.
"I think a lot of lower-order batters come out and they [either] block it or they try and hit a wild swing, but he's a proper batter," Brook said. "He's got first-class hundreds, he's played Test cricket, and as we've seen tonight, he's got immense power as well."
Jacks has been the unlikely star of England's run to the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Only two players have both scored more runs (191) and taken more wickets (seven) at a T20 World Cup than Jacks has at this edition - Shane Watson in 2012 and Sikandar Raza in 2022 - and he still has at least one more game to play.
His all-round exploits against New Zealand made him the Player of the Match for a record-equalling fourth time (along with Watson) at a single edition of the tournament. Some were surprised when England moved on from Liam Livingstone so abruptly - not least the player himself - but Jacks has already had a far greater all-round impact than Livingstone ever did at a T20 World Cup.
On Friday night, it was Jacks' head-to-head with Glenn Phillips - his opposite number as an offspin-bowling allrounder - that proved decisive. Jacks conceded eight runs from the nine legal balls he bowled to Phillips, including one that turned sharply to knock back his off stump; facing Phillips, Jacks' flurry of six, four, four in a 22-run 18th over swung the game England's way.
That match-up showcased Jacks at his best. The ball that dismissed Phillips turned 7.2 degrees, highlighting Jacks' strength as an unusually attacking part-time spinner, who actively tries to spin the ball rather than darting it in. With the bat, he comfortably cleared the long boundary at midwicket to demonstrate his power, then had the ruthlessness to keep attacking.
He has had a curious winter. Jacks missed England's tour to New Zealand with a broken finger but since the start of the Ashes, only Brook has played more games for them across formats. He was picked as a "hedge" - to use Rob Key's description - in Australia as a spin-bowling allrounder, and performed about as expected for a man with scant recent first-class experience.
But he has thrived over the past three weeks as a cricketing Polyfilla, plugging the various gaps in an imperfect England side that keeps finding ways to win. He has bailed out their struggling top order with the bat against Nepal, Italy and now New Zealand, and his three powerplay wickets were essential in their comeback win over Sri Lanka.
Jacks has played in every match for which he has been fit since Brook took over as England's T20 captain, and has clearly thrived. "I feel really confident right now," he said. "I feel calm in the middle, which is like another string to your bow: if you're calm and you know what you're trying to do, then that could be more vital than anything."
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It is a stark contrast to two years ago. At the 2024 T20 World Cup, Jacks bowled the second over against Australia in Barbados, conceded 22, and was not used again in the tournament, losing his place before the Super Eight stage. He was expensive with the ball in the group stage of this edition, too, but where Jos Buttler had blinked as captain, Brook backed his man.
The irony of Jacks' success is that, if everything else went to plan, England would hardly need him at all. "Ideally, I would do nothing," he said. "I'm the extra bowler and the extra batter; if I didn't bowl and didn't bat, we'd have that perfect game that people have been speaking about… Coming into the semi-finals, if I do nothing, I'm sure we've had a great day."
It was somehow emblematic of England's campaign that the winning boundary came via Jacks' grille, as he mistimed a pull off Matt Henry's short ball. There has been nothing pretty about their passage to the semi-finals, but they just keep on winning: their run now stands at six games out of seven at this tournament, and 16 out of their 18 completed T20Is since last June.
Barring an unlikely string of results over the next few days, England will now head to Mumbai to face either India or West Indies, knowing that they are two wins away from the title. If they can pull it off, there will be a strong case to make that Jacks should be the Player of the Tournament.