Jacks Takes 5-22 Against Sri Lanka Weeks After Appendicitis Surgery
The short version
- Will Jacks took 5-22, his best 50-over figures, in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street.
- He had emergency appendix surgery at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and returned ahead of his four-week recovery timeline.
- He added an unbeaten 46 as England posted 265.
- He is vice-captain to Harry Brook for the Sri Lanka series.
- He is signed with MI Cape Town in the SA20 this winter.
The England all-rounder returned from an emergency appendix operation to post career-best ODI bowling figures in the series opener at Chester-le-Street.
England all-rounder Will Jacks delivered the best one-day bowling performance of his career on Tuesday, taking 5-22 against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street. The effort came only weeks after he underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis while in Edinburgh for what was meant to be his mother's 60th birthday celebration.
Jacks, 27, initially believed he had a stomach bug before being taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. He was initially told his recovery would take around four weeks but came back slightly ahead of schedule, captaining the Lions in a warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka on September 11 and then appearing in all three T20s as England swept that series.
Because spin bowling places demands on the core, Jacks has done additional conditioning work since the operation. His 4.3 degrees of turn in the first ODI was the most he has generated in a home ODI, and his figures ranked second best by an England spinner in the format. He said he only resumed bowling five days before the opening match of the T20 series.
He also made 46 not out, batting patiently with a single boundary in his first 43 balls as England moved from 211-7 in the 39th over to 265 by the penultimate over. Serving as Harry Brook's deputy for the Sri Lanka series, Jacks said he now feels settled in the finisher role he took up 18 months ago after moving down from the top of the order.
A Test recall remains uncertain given his SA20 commitment with MI Cape Town this winter, which overlaps part of England's two Tests in Bangladesh. For now, Jacks is focused on white-ball tours to Pakistan, Australia and South Africa ahead of next autumn's 50-over World Cup.
