Can Jacks finish India – and will Buttler finally make a start?

Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will stage the most tantalising of questions on Thursday afternoon: can England’s newly-minted finisher Will Jacks keep India at bay, and will Jos Buttler, the captain who has forgotten how to start, finally ignite?

England enter the T20 World Cup semi-final unbeaten through the Super 8s, yet their campaign has been built on two wildly contrasting narratives. Down the order, Jacks has been the competition’s most valuable player, plundering 191 runs at a strike-rate of 176.85 and collecting four player-of-the-match awards. Up top, the tournament’s most decorated opener has produced five single-figure scores in succession and is averaging 8.86.

Jacks’ transformation from lifelong opener to ice-cool closer has papered over the cracks. His 39 not out off 20 balls against Nepal and 53 from 22 against Italy rescued England from early elimination, while cameos of 21, 28 and an unbeaten 32 against New Zealand carried them into the last four. Dinesh Karthik, who watched the Surrey man struggle at No. 3 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, admitted: “I didn’t believe Jacks could do as good a job as he has done. He has adapted phenomenally.”

The same cannot be said of Buttler. The skipper’s highest stand with Phil Salt is 38; they have been separated for nought and two inside the powerplay in their last two outings. Salt at least has a fifty; Buttler’s best is 26. Nasser Hussain believes the 35-year-old is one swing away from a vintage knock. “This is what Buttler is all about,” Hussain said. “He has something on his bat that basically says, ‘If in doubt, go for it’. I think he will go for it – this is the sort of occasion he is made for.”

India, meanwhile, must decide how to deploy Jasprit Bumrah. Karthik would hold him back for Harry Brook, citing Varun Chakravarthy’s success against the England No. 3 in last year’s bilateral series. Hussain wants Bumrah up front to remove Buttler or Salt and choke England early, as he did in the 2024 semi-final in the Caribbean.

The winners earn a Sunday showdown with New Zealand. For England, the equation is stark: if Jacks finishes again, they may finish India; if Buttler finally starts, they could start dreaming of a second T20 crown.