SA20 Final: Pretoria Capitals head coach counting on Kusal Mendis in absence of 'brilliant' Will Jacks

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Picture Credit: Will Jacks Instagram

Ahead of the mega final of the SA20 2022-23 on Saturday, Pretoria Capitals coach Graham Ford has said that the absence of their top run-scorer Will Jacks will be a "big loss". The 24-year-old England opener is currently in New Zealand with the England Test team which is there for a two-Test series. The 24-year-old scored 270 runs in seven matches at an average of 38.57 and a stunning strike rate of 201.49.

Three fifties came off Jacks' blade during his time in South Africa. In his last outing in the competition against MI Cape Town, Jacks blasted 62 runs off 27 balls. The innings included five fours and as many maximums.

Ford heaped rich praises on Jacks during a virtual press conference ahead of the summit clash on Friday. In a question from MyKhel .com, the former head coach of Sri Lanka termed Jacks as the "real ambassador of English country cricket".

However, the 62-year-old backed others in the team, especially Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis to do the job for the team in the final.

"Jacks is absolutely amazing, wonderful guy and a real ambassador for English country cricket. Because he comes in, plays beautifully, really positive as a bloke, has a real influence on the dressing room because he is a positive soul. Big loss but we expected this might happen and therefore we have a backup in terms of Kushal Mendis. Mendo has been outstanding and we hope he continues to be outstanding. So, from the batting skill point of view upfront we are covered. Jacksy, gee, brilliant player to have but there are other great players in the group," Ford told MyKhel.com in the presser.

Will Jacks golden run

Will Jacks became the second player to score a hundred in the history of The Hundred last year. He also made his England T20I debut in September 2022 and Test debut two months later in December. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bought the all-rounder for Rs 3.20 cr in the IPL 2023 auction in December.

Pretoria Capitals journey in SA20

Wayne Parnell-led Pretoria Capitals defeated Paarl Royals by 29 runs in the semi-final. Overall, they have won seven of their 10 matches in the tournament so far. They face Aiden Markram's Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the final at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.