Will Jacks Takes 5-22 as England Beat Sri Lanka in First ODI

Will Jacks produced the performance of his one-day international career at Chester-le-Street, taking five wickets for 22 runs to help England defend a total of 265 against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the series.

His figures are the second-best by an England spinner in one-day internationals, and the first five-wicket haul by an England spinner against Sri Lanka since Vic Marks in 1983. Marks also holds the record Jacks fell short of.

An All-Round Display

Jacks had already played a significant part with the bat. England were struggling to build a competitive total on a surface that offered little, and his unbeaten 46 from 47 balls dragged them up to 265.

Harry Brook top-scored with 67. Joe Root made 44, ending a remarkable sequence of 404 one-day international runs without being dismissed. He fell to Sachindu Colombage, who claimed his maiden international wicket.

Sri Lanka's reply never gathered momentum. Captain Kusal Mendis, back from a hamstring injury, made 42, and Dunith Wellalage struck a few late blows, but the middle order could not handle Jamie Overton's cross-seamers or Jacks' off-breaks.

Jacks finished the match by taking three wickets in four balls.

Brook was pleased with how his side adapted. "Not the easiest of surfaces but manufactured a win," he said. "After 20 overs we said 280 was decent, happy with 260."

He also singled out the player of the match. "Jacks, outstanding player, constant performer in franchise, and awesome player to have in the side."

England were without Adil Rashid, ruled out of the series with a hand injury, and barely missed him.

Signs of a Recovery

The win continues a shift in fortunes for an England side that had drifted badly in the format.

Since winning the World Cup in 2019 they have won 33 and lost 40 one-day internationals, with group-stage exits at the 2023 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. They began 2026 ranked eighth in the world, with qualification for next year's World Cup a genuine concern.

Things have improved this year. England came from behind to win series against Sri Lanka away and India at home, and their white-ball teams have won ten of eleven completed matches this summer.

That run has come under Brendon McCullum, who lost his job as Test coach after the home series defeat to New Zealand but has formed an effective partnership with Brook in the white-ball setup.

Jacks himself has been a peripheral figure in England's one-day side for much of that period, better known for his work in franchise cricket around the world. An all-round contribution of this kind, with both bat and ball on a surface offering little assistance, strengthens his case for a settled place in the side as the World Cup approaches.

England will look to press their advantage at Headingley on Thursday, with the third match at The Oval on 27 September.