Jacks: England's tri-series troubles are a mini World Cup

England lost to Sri Lanka after being beaten by Pakistan by 87 runs in their opening match. Despite Harry Brook's record-breaking 202, the side lost by two wickets to Sri Lanka, who chased down 430 with one ball to spare.

With this result, England must beat Pakistan on Sunday and Sri Lanka on Thursday to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive. The final will be played on Saturday, 31 October.

Will Jacks reminded that the team faced similar pressure on their 2019 World Cup journey. Jacks views the matches next week as an important preparation for the 2027 World Cup, to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. He stressed that this kind of pressure cannot be replicated in training or in a bilateral series.

In the match against Sri Lanka, England's six-man bowling attack was overwhelmed. Sam Curran, returning from knee surgery in his second match back, conceded 103 runs in nine overs. It was the worst figures ever recorded by an England bowler in one-day internationals.

Jacks also spoke about the challenge of returning from injury. He said the first matches after surgery are always tense, and it is uncertain whether the body will hold up.