Never in cricketing history has so much changed so little. Jamie Smith was absurd. He broke records. He scored five consecutive boundaries in one over. He went to 50 in 43 balls. He went to 100 in 80. Before he then went back down the gears and proved he can play the small rooms as well as fill arenas. Alongside Harry Brook, the pair added 303 for the sixth wicket
But as they walked off at the close of play, Smith, the new owner of the highest ever score by an England wicket-keeper with 184 not out to his name, and Brook, the fastest to nine Test centuries since Dennis Compton, England nevertheless trailed India by 244.
According to the metrics of ‘runs’ and ‘wickets’, this was India’s day and will in all likelihood be their match. But in the ground, it didn’t feel like it. Because while India have dominated England across the three days; Brook – and in particular Smith – dominated India on this day.
Smith’s arrival at the crease was dramatic enough. In the second over of the day, Mohammed Siraj had Joe Root uncharacteristically caught down the legside via a loose shot, before Siraj then delivered a brute of a ball to Ben Stokes to remove the English captain for the first golden duck of his Test career.
Smith strolled to the crease and awaited the hat-trick ball. On a pitch where wickets have been hard to come by, the double-strike had moved the match forward hours in a matter of minutes and all of a sudden India had an opportunity to win it in the here and now.
Instead, Smith struck his first delivery down the ground for four in a display of controlled aggression that would last for the next five hours. By lunch, he had already made a century.
“The way that he came out of the blocks today and put the pressure back on their bowlers was phenomenal, “said Brook, his teammate and partner in crime Harry Brook after play. “It was awesome. So good to watch from the other end. It felt like he could hit every ball for four or six.”
Smith is the goldilocks wicketkeeper that England have been chasing for years. For the majority of the last decade, the debate has been whether you prioritise keeping ability or batting. Purists wanted Ben Foakes, arguably the best wicketkeeper in the world, to be picked. While others, including England, tended to plump for extra batting ability at the expense of the odd dropped catch. As a result, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler played over 150 Tests between them.
Smith is the happy medium. A generational talent with the bat, with hands soft enough that if he brushed your arm you wouldn’t notice. At Surrey, his county side, he was the second-choice wicketkeeper behind Foakes. And when he plays for them, he still is. But England didn’t care. Smith’s reputation – ever since he was a teenager – had preceded him. The kid was special.
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Smith stands out from many in the world of international cricket in that he doesn’t come from a cricketing background. The first – and unless he sticks a bat in his newborn son’s hand soon – the only cricketer in his family, his parents signed him up to a summer camp at Sutton CC in South London for something to do as a child and he never looked back. Even so, football, specifically West Ham, has always been the main passion of the household, and Smith himself was on the books of AFC Wimbledon until he was 15.
Known for his calm demeanour, Smith impressed England bosses last year when, counterintuitively, he chose not to train the day before his Test debut. He’d hit as many balls as he wanted to. He felt ready. He was calm. And that was enough.
Smith went on to make 70 in his first appearance in an England shirt. The continuation of a theme where Smith makes the step up to the next level immediately. On first-class debut for Surrey he made 127. Breaking the club record for the highest ever score by a first-class debutant which had stood since 1899.
Today, no Indian bowler was safe from the onslaught of Smith. Prasidh Krishna, brought into the attack to bowl bouncers and entice a false shot, bore most of the brunt. Smith struck him for five boundaries in a row. Pulling him in three different directions before the ‘surprise’ full ball was driven back down the ground for four as well.
Smith’s first 50 took 43 balls, his second 37 and his third 64. Aside from the Hollywood attacking shots where he’s able to strike fast bowlers back over their head for six, the relative slowdown after he reached his century would have pleased England’s leadership the most. When the opportunity to attack presented itself, Smith had taken it. When India bowled well, he respected it. Some people know how to bat; others know how to score runs. Smith can do both.
As a game, cricket is an individual pursuit masquerading as a team sport. More often than not, eleven people can walk away from a win thanks to the efforts of one player. Today, Smith experienced the other end of that scale. With 184 runs to his name, he had had the best day of his career as he cemented his position as one for now rather than one for the future.
His reward? England staring down the barrel.
