Jackman was given the occasional outing by England in one-day internationals from 1974, but Geoff Arnold, Bob Willis, Chris Old and others kept him out of the Test side. At last, in 1980, it seemed likely that he might get a Test call-up as he finished the season with 121 first-class wickets (20 more than any other bowler), aided by the much improved pitches at The Oval and having a very ferocious new ball partner in Sylvester Clarke. His performances provoked regular calls for his inclusion in the England Test team, given that he was way ahead of any other seamer in English cricket and was thoroughly deserving of being one of "Wisden"'s five Cricketers of the Year in the following spring's "Almanack". But the England selectors, choosing a squad to tour West Indies in the winter of 1980/81, showed reluctance to pick a seamer who was by now 35 years old, and only placed him on the reserve list. It was felt that his last chance of Test Cricket had disappeared.