After 84 deliveries of Jamie Smith’s career as a Test batter, first-time viewers could be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss was all about.
By this point, England’s new wicketkeeper-batter had 37 uneventful runs to his name, each added without much fanfare. A tall, upright right-hander with a Gray Nicolls in his hands, Smith had essentially played the quintessential Ben Foakes innings, where the aim of the game was steady and sober accumulation.
On a placid surface which has avoided scrutiny in part due to West Indies’ first innings Gus Atkinson-induced implosion, Smith was patient, especially against the excellent Gudakesh Motie who was the first bowler to properly tie England down. With Joe Root and Chris Woakes for company, there was no visible sense of urgency – and why should there have been? England were way ahead in the contest a mere four and a half sessions into the game.
It took the fall of Woakes to unlock the gears of Smith’s game that have earned him England recognition. England’s Nos. 9-11 combined for a grand total of zero runs between them yet Smith was able to add 32 runs to the England total in their company. His marshalling of the tail was considered.
Ball ➡️ Stands#EnglandCricket | #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/CIhxUTOuH0
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 11, 2024
Again, though in a different way, Smith was patient, happy to accumulate dot balls and wait for the ball to veer towards his arc. There were two almighty blows over the leg side, one into the Grand Stand off Shamar Joseph, and another over the Tavern Stand and out the ground off Jayden Seales. The second hit in particular was a real statement shot – depositing the opposition’s premier fast bowler out of the arena. One hundred and fourteen deliveries into his first Test innings, here was the surest sign yet of why England had put so much faith into Smith ahead of several worthy candidates for the gloves.
For a man who only turns 24 tomorrow, Smith has been on England’s radar for a while. The Surrey youngster responded to a first England Lions call-up in the 2022/23 winter with a 71-ball hundred against a strong Sri Lanka A attack, a knock that suggested that he had both the substance and style to be a good fit in the current England environment. Since then, Smith has gone from strength to strength. Remarkably, Smith struck another 70-ball hundred later in 2023, this time against Kent in a record chase of 501 and after a winter spent refining his white-ball game, Smith went up another level in 2024 – he currently tops the run-scoring charts for league leaders Surrey, standing out in a top six full of England internationals. His teammate Dom Sibley, who spent the best part of two years in England’s Test set-up, recently described Smith as an “absolute genius”.
The identity of England’s Test wicketkeeper tends to inspire impassioned stances from England supporters, and Smith’s promotion raised eyebrows from some quarters. Michael Vaughan, for example, labelled the decision “staggering”. After all, he is an irregular wicketkeeper for his county side due to the presence of Foakes. From England’s point of view though, his selection was all about what they view as his immense potential with the bat.
His innings today against an undercooked West Indies doesn’t reveal much more than his outstanding domestic form does. But glimpses of his considerable talent were still on display. If anything, his level-headed early caution was more instructive than the ball-striking that came later on.
“We want someone who can just up the ante at times when required,” said England’s director of men’s cricket Rob Key after Smith’s initial selection. “Sometimes you're selecting people for what they're going to be, and where you think they can progress to. We've been watching Jamie Smith for quite some time. He was on the Lions a couple of years ago when I watched him out in Sri Lanka, and he looks a rare talent."
It’s not entirely clear what Smith’s role will end up being. He has kept tidily but No.7 is unlikely to be his long-term home. Wherever he settles down, Key’s assessment that Smith is a “rare talent” looks a fair one.
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