
Jamie Smith here for the long haul after monster knock as England’s No.7 fulfils role that Buttler was expected to.
England always believed Jos Buttler would become a Test wicketkeeper, but he never did, and now he is Jamie Smith. Smith equalled Buttler’s record of two Test hundreds in 81 fewer innings on Friday at Edgbaston, when he muscled a slog-sweep away for four to reach an 80-ball century. Smith also surpassed Buttler’s highest score of 152 when he sent Washington Sundar to long-off.
When faced with the blank canvas of Test cricket, Smith seems to see only the bright side. On Friday, he faced a fired-up Mohammed Siraj and hammered a hat-trick ball past mid-off for four. Buttler seemed to be paralysed by uncertainty.
Although Buttler is the best white ball hitter in England’s history, his 31.94 Test average and, more importantly, his 54.18 strike rate reveal untapped potential against the red ball. Smith, however, is the future of England’s batting in all formats just a week before his 25th birthday. He is a counterattacking Test No. 7 and a devastating white-ball opener who also takes wickets.
Despite India’s enormous run advantage, Shubman Gill’s mind appeared to be confused by his destructive performance at Edgbaston. England frequently discusses finding ways to deflect or absorb pressure from their opponents. Smith took advantage of the opportunity to do the latter, hammering cheap runs off of India’s substitute bowlers.
Smith’s first-inning dismissal at Headingley last week, which pulled Prasidh Krishna to deep square-leg three balls before a new ball was due, seemed to defy conventional cricketing reasoning. It was a “calculated” play, he said, with plans to “take all the momentum into the new ball,” and it was a failure of execution rather than of strategy.
To get them over the finish line in their fifth-day run case, he doubled down on his attacking instincts and blasted Ravindra Jadeja for 18 runs in an over, including the game-winning hit over mid-on for six. He decided there was little use in staying at Edgbaston after evaluating the dire position, which with England 503 behind with five wickets remaining.
With three men out on the hook and a six-three leg-side pitch put up, Gill set the stage for Smith with another short-ball tactic. In response, Smith displayed his range of pull shots, including a wrist-roll through midwicket, a flat-bat through mid-on as he hopped leg side, a strong, flat slap behind square, and a full-blooded hoist into the bleachers. Prasidh lost by 23 runs due to his over.
Smith was given the freedom to continue attacking, hitting Washington Sundar’s opening two deliveries for four by navigating the space between mid-off and short cover. Smith went back to just sucking singles, rotating strike at will in his enormous stand with Harry Brook after Gill fell into the well-known trap of extending his field with five boundary-riders for Washington.
His 303-run stand with Brook provided a preview of England’s batting lineup going forward, both in Test matches and other formats. Their ability to shift gears was perhaps their most amazing feature; after tearing ahead in sixth place before lunch, they seemed to be cruising in the middle lane when they dropped into fourth place in the middle session when India’s intentions changed.
Smith has been a formidable figure at the crease since he bulked up considerably eighteen months ago. It may be a while before anyone else has the chance to break Smith’s record, as he overtook his Surrey coach Alec Stewart to reach 174, the greatest total by an England Test wicketkeeper.
Growing up, Smith’s favourite player was Kevin Pietersen, and he saw aspects of his hero in Birmingham, including his mastery of the short ball, contempt for spinners, and the natural confidence needed to bat so boldly. Despite the rumours, England thinks Smith can surpass his predecessors. This was an Adam Gilchrist-style innings.