Will Jacks was hailed as "outstanding" by England white-ball captain Harry Brook on Tuesday night as he took five wickets to spur his side to an 89-run victory against Sri Lanka. Jacks starred with both bat and ball as England took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, with the batting all-rounder moving England to 265 all out in the first innings, with an unbeaten 46 off 47. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player In the 48th over, the 27-year-old, who has been moved down the order, ruthlessly smashed Dushmantha Chameera for four consecutive fours, making a score of 18 off the over.
He was brought on to bowl in the 20th over of Sri Lanka's innings, and would end the day with career-best figures of 5-22 from seven overs. "He's really growing into this role," Brook said of Jacks. "He's bought into everything that we want to do, as have the other boys.
England 265 in 48.1 overs (elected to bat): Harry Brook (67 off 69 balls), Will Jacks (46 off 47), Joe Root (44 off 52); Sachindu Colombage (3-44), Asitha Fernando (3-53) Sri Lanka 176 all out in 37 overs (chasing 266):Dunith Wellalage (45 off 36 balls), Kusal Mendis (42 off 60), Pathum Nissanka (27 off 37); Will Jacks (5-22), Jamie Overton (2-21) "We're talking about all sorts of aspects of the game, trying to adapt to conditions, and he's done that exceptionally well since he's come back in over the last 18 months. "He could have easily just moaned and groaned about batting in the middle-order and playing as an all-rounder, but he's really grown into that and accepted that's going to be his role for a period of time. "He's been a very vital player.
He's not a part-timer; he is a very good off-spinner. He can spin the ball big and contain batters when we need to." After Jacks first dismissed Charith Asalanka for one, England had struggled to remove Kusal Mendis, who brought up 42 from 60 deliveries. Jacks stepped up again to provide the breakthrough, trapping the Sri Lanka captain lbw in the 27th over.
Dunith Wellalage top-scored for Sri Lanka with 45 from 36 deliveries, but just as he closed in on his half-century, Jacks claimed his third wicket of the day. Two deliveries later, the England all-rounder removed Asitha Fernando for a duck. Jacks then wrapped up England's victory with the delivery of the day, dismissing Dilshan Madushanka for nought with a sensational turning ball that crashed into the Sri Lankan bowler's stumps.
His figures are the best by an England spinner in an ODI since Vic Marks took 5-20 against New Zealand in Wellington in 1984. "I go into each game with an open mind and see what it is when I walk out there," Jacks said when asked about batting down the order. "I think it's quite refreshing and it keeps me relaxed." On his bowling, he added: "Having batted on the wicket and knowing what it was like, I knew I was going to play a decent role.
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