England just pulled off an 89-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first one-day international at Chester-le-Street, and seriously, if you weren’t watching, you missed Will Jacks putting on an absolute clinic. The dude delivered a career-best 5-22 with the ball. Yeah, you read that right. Five wickets for 22 runs. This wasn’t some gentle win; England ground this one out, and Jacks was the main man making it happen, continuing what the pundits are calling their “quiet revival” in white-ball cricket.
Jacks Delivers an All-Round Masterclass
This win was all about Jacks’ all-round efforts. On a slow, low pitch that made scoring tough, he wasn’t just a wizard with the ball; he also added a crucial 46 not out with the bat. Harry Brook dropped 67 from 69 balls, and Joe Root chipped in with 44, helping England post a respectable 265 runs before being bowled out in 48.1 overs. That score felt like “par” at best, but then England’s bowlers went to work, and Jacks became the star. He took down big hitters Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka before absolutely ripping through the tail, bagging those career-best figures. Sri Lanka, despite showing improvement in the field, was far too timid with the bat and got bowled out for a meager 176.
Grinding Out the Win: This Wasn’t Vintage, But It Was Effective
Look, this wasn’t the free-flowing, six-hitting England we sometimes see. For the first time since 2019, they didn’t hit a single six batting first. But captain Brook and coach Brendon McCullum should not be worried about that. For too long, England’s only path to victory felt like piling up monster scores. They did get dismissed for the 12th time since McCullum took charge, and yeah, you could question the opposition’s quality, but what matters is the W. There was a middle-order collapse, a tough 4-29 stretch where Brook sliced a drive playing an aggressive shot. Sri Lanka’s debutant leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage was impressive, finding turn to take out Root, then getting Jos Buttler lbw for 31 and bowling Overton for eight. After that collapse, Jacks could have swung for the fences, but he batted responsibly, stretching the innings from 211-7 in the 39th over and even taking 18 runs from the 47th. That’s clutch.
Jacks’ importance to England’s white-ball teams is absolutely skyrocketing with every single match. This victory means England has now won 10 white-ball matches in a row against Sri Lanka this year, and they can seal their third ODI series win in a row with a game to spare on Thursday at Headingley. The three-match series wraps up on Sunday at The Oval, bringing down the curtain on a truly topsy-turvy summer. While they will need bigger scores for the World Cup in a year’s time, beating Sri Lanka and toppling India earlier in July means they are primed for two months of white-ball cricket overseas on the back of another series win. Keep an eye on Jacks, because he is making things happen.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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