The off-spinner’s burst gave Pretoria Capitals hope in a thrilling contest against Paarl Royals, with the latter eventually triumphing in the final over – though it is Pretoria Capitals who remain favourites in the SA20 betting.

Jacks is on the fringes of the England white-ball side, making his debut in the T20I series against Pakistan that preceded the T20 World Cup. He has enjoyed a stellar campaign in the inaugural SA20 with the bat and in the field, and took the chance to show his national captain what he can do with the ball when thrown the ball for the 16th over of Paarl Royals’ chase.

Pretoria Capitals were in trouble, and the move by captain Wayne Parnell had an air of desperation, with Jacks having bowled just one over in the competition up to that point. Paarl Royals had eight wickets in hand and needed 40 from the last five overs, with Dane Vilas and Buttler both set.

Within three balls, the complexion of the contest had changed entirely. If there was an air of fortune to Jacks’ dismissal of Vilas, the No.4 hitting a long-hop to the fielder in the deep, the wicket of Buttler more than made up for it. Beaten in the flight, Buttler failed to get to the pitch of a delivery which dipped before turning sharply, snaking through the bat-pad gap to strike the stumps.

All of a sudden, Paarl Royals needed nearly nine an over with two new batters at the crease. However, David Miller kept his calm to steer his side home with an unbeaten 14-ball 28.

Watch Jacks dismiss Vilas and Buttler below:

Will Jacks has just bowled Jos Buttler with an absolute beauty 😍#SA20 pic.twitter.com/cA8xhJREjE

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 22, 2023