England took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka with an 89-run victory at Chester-le-Street, driven by a career-best bowling performance from Will Jacks and a historic milestone for Joe Root. Defending a total of 265, England dismissed the visitors for 176 as Jacks recorded figures of 5-22 from seven overs.
Jacks’ performance marks the second-best bowling figures by an England spinner in ODI history. His contribution was vital for a home side managing the absence of Adil Rashid, who has been ruled out of the entire three-match series with a hand injury sustained during the T20Is.
During the first innings, Joe Root became the first Englishman and the eighth batter in history to reach 23,000 international runs. Root achieved the landmark in his 521st innings, making him the second-fastest player to reach the total, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s mark by one innings while remaining behind Virat Kohli.
Sri Lankan debutant Sachindu Colombage provided the primary resistance with the ball. The leg-spinner finished with 3-44, including the dismissals of Root and Jos Buttler, as Sri Lanka restricted England to 265 on a surface that favored spin. Sri Lanka’s chase reached 100-4 before a middle-order collapse, triggered by Jacks at the Riverside Ground, ended their pursuit in the 43rd over.
The match coincided with fast bowler Mark Wood announcing his retirement from international cricket. Wood’s departure and Rashid’s injury have necessitated a tactical shift, with Jacks increasingly utilized in a lower-middle order role as England prepares for the 2027 World Cup.
Captain Harry Brook praised the team’s ability to adjust to the pitch conditions. “It wasn’t the easiest of surfaces, but we want to be a team that can adapt to conditions as well as possible and manufacture wins where the conditions aren’t quite in our favour,” Brook said.
Brook also commented on the evolution of Jacks as an all-rounder: “The way he’s come in in this middle order and played this role in the middle order, taking a heavy part of the bowling on; he has been an awesome player to have in the side.”
The series continues at Headingley for the second ODI on September 24, followed by the final match at The Oval on September 27.
