Will Jacks reveals emergency surgery before five-wicket England display

Will Jacks has revealed that emergency surgery interrupted a family trip last month, weeks before he produced a match-winning performance for England against Sri Lanka. According to BBC Sport's Matthew Henry, the all-rounder underwent an operation for appendicitis before returning to take 5-22 in Tuesday's first one-day international at Chester-le-Street, his best figures in 50-over cricket.

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The 27-year-old had planned to visit Edinburgh to celebrate his mother's 60th birthday. He initially thought he had a stomach illness, but his condition worsened quickly and he was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for emergency treatment. Jacks described the experience as frightening and unexpected, and credited NHS staff with looking after him during the episode.

His initial recovery timetable was four weeks, although he returned a few days ahead of that schedule to captain the England Lions against Sri Lanka on 11 September. He subsequently appeared in all three matches as England swept the T20 series against the tourists. Jacks said starting with the shorter format helped his confidence because his bowling workload was capped at four overs per match.

The return still required work to restore his core strength for the demands of bowling spin. Jacks said he had only resumed bowling five days before his first game while rebuilding his fitness, and felt his limited workload during the T20 series had helped. At Chester-le-Street, on a slow surface, he went on to record the second-best ODI bowling figures by an England spinner, BBC Sport reported.

Jacks also contributed an unbeaten 46 during England's innings. With wickets falling around him, he adjusted his approach and prioritised extending the innings rather than attacking immediately. He struck only one boundary in his first 43 deliveries, helping England move from 211-7 in the 39th over to a final total of 265 in the penultimate over.

The performance came with Jacks serving as Harry Brook's vice-captain for the Sri Lanka series in Jacob Bethell's absence. He moved from opening to a middle-order finishing role in England's white-ball teams 18 months ago and told the BBC he now feels comfortable adapting to different match situations. England's next ODI against Sri Lanka is at Headingley, with Jacks describing the security of knowing his place in the side as something he appreciates.