England still confident despite unconvincing run – Jacks

England remain just as confident they can win the T20 World Cup despite their unconvincing group-stage performances, says batter Will Jacks.

Harry Brook’s side qualified for the Super 8 stage by beating Italy on Monday but were again pushed by a lower-ranked side.

They began their tournament edging past Nepal in a final-ball finish and then lost to West Indies before coming through a nervy encounter with Scotland.

“Winning like that can only be good for you,” said Jacks, whose 53 not out was crucial in lifting England to 202-7.

“We’ve got a lot of stuff we can get better at but coming into today, my own personal expectation and desire is we want to win easily. We don’t want it to be that close and feel those nerves.

Jofra Archer took two wickets in the first over of Italy’s chase but Ben Menenti smashed 60 from 25 balls and Grant Stewart 45 from 22 to give Italy real hope.

With Stewart at the crease, the tournament’s lowest-ranked side needed 30 runs from the final two overs for an almighty upset.

That England came through is obviously a positive. Sam Curran, who also defended 10 from the last over against Nepal, dismissed Stewart in the penultimate over.

He admitted there have been nerves throughout the initial group stage.

“It’s actually just a tricky stage in a World Cup,” Curran told the BBC.

“You’re nervous, you’ve got all kinds of nerves and expectation.

“I had a little chat with Morgs [former England captain Eoin Morgan] before the toss and said these are the hardest games because we want to get there so badly.

England will play their entire Super 8s phase in Sri Lanka, where they recently beat the co-hosts 3-0 in a T20 series.

Their opponents are yet to be confirmed. If it goes to seeding then it will be Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.

Jacks said he remains as confident in England as when the group left Sri Lanka at the start of the month.

“Going back to Sri Lanka, we feel confident there,” he said. “That experience is good for us.