Mumbai: England all-rounder Will Jacks has insisted that his under-fire captain Harry Brook has the full support of his teammates ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
The 26-year-old, who is set to lead the Three Lions in a global tournament for the first time, recently drew attention in New Zealand for an altercation with a nightclub bouncer that resulted in a £30,000 fine from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Brook had to apologize for the incident and, despite the sanction, retained his place as England’s white-ball captain.
He has come under intense media scrutiny since then, but Jakes, who was Brook’s roommate during their under-19 cricket days, admitted his captain had made a mistake but insisted he had apologized and was being supported by the team.
“Obviously, it’s been a tough time and it’s been well documented in the media,” Jacks told reporters ahead of practice here.
“I’m not actually in New Zealand, so I don’t know anything about it.
“He’s obviously made the wrong decision but he’s accepted it. He’s obviously making amends on the pitch and we all support him 100 per cent.
“He likes his cricket to do the talking.”
The two-time champions entered the 20-team mega event with the desired momentum as they whitewashed Sri Lanka in the three-match series that ended earlier this month, and Jacks described the win as a “stepping stone” to boost their hopes of going the long way at the mega event.
“We didn’t take the momentum out of it, but the team unity, we feel strong within ourselves,” Jacques said.
“We’ve had a great run over the last 12 months since Harry became captain and we’re really pleased with that.
“What we have done in the last few weeks in Sri Lanka is another step.
“We came here confident and confident that we can go far in this tournament.”
However, Will Jacks acknowledged the tough competition England could face in the tournament with “fantastic teams” before naming defending champions and co-hosts India as favourites.
“But that doesn’t guarantee anything for us. We know there are fantastic teams in this World Cup,” Jaques continued.
“India, on home soil, I think everyone knows who the favorites are.”
England, drawn in Group C, begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.