JACKS CLAIMS ZOHO LONGEST SIXES CROWN

Pretoria Capitals might not have reached the Betway SA20 Season 2 Playoffs, but at least Will Jacks claimed the Zoho Longest Sixes title.

The English opener ended his season, following Capitals' group stage elimination, with the three longest hits. The initial longest came at Kingsmead, surprisingly if you consider the coastal vs inland argument about how far the ball travels, when Jacks hooked a short delivery from Keemo Paul all of 108m. Were it not for a tree, the ball might have finished many metres further away yet.

Jacks was not just content with overtaking Donovan Ferreira’s 106m big hit. With MI Cape Town having posted a massive 248-4 in the season’s last match at Centurion, and George Linde lining up to bowl the first over, there was only one thing on his mind … especially after Phil Salt took a single off the first ball.

The second, bang, four. The third, smash, six – 92m. Off the fourth ball, Jacks slog-swept Linde onto the a chalet roof… and 108m effort which equalled his record. The next ball received the same treatment, but measured at ‘only’ 107m. The result, though, was Jacks was placed 1, 2 and 3 on the Zoho Longest Sixes leaderboard.

As the playoffs got underway the likes of Tristan Stubbs, Jason Roy, Fabian Allen, Donovan Ferreira and Heinrich Klaasen were still in the mix to challenge Jacks. Among the respondents on our poll, asking who would finish top at the end of the season, 32.7% backed Klaasen while 44.2% believed Jacks would hold on.

‘Klaasie’ gave it a good go. During Qualifier 1 at Newlands he klapped two sixes – but not far enough to challenge. He looked a man possessed in Qualifier 2, however, first hitting Imran Tahir for three sixes in over 15 then planting another into the stands off Doug Bracewell in over 17 before brutally smashing Sam Cook for three in a row in the 18th over. Sadly, for him, none could beat Jacks’ 108m effort, but Klaasen’s hits did see two fans claim their share of the title sponsor’s prize money for clean one-handed crowd catches.

All told, 42 maximums were smashed in the race for the title – including nine from Klaasen, six off Wiaan Mulder’s bat and three apiece for Faf du Plessis, Aiden Markram and Tristan Stubbs - but none could steal Jacks’ title of Zoho Longest Six-hitter away from him.