However, Smith revealed choosing cricket was partly down a brutal self-assessment of his chances at football.
Test legend Joe Root has been moved down to No 4 due to Smith's rise up the order for Saturday's Champions Trophy opener against Australia.
And indeed as a kid football dominated his thoughts... until he became the first person in his family to play cricket.
However, he confessed: "I didn't really want that to be the case, but I knew with my cricket that I had something a little bit special.
TO most players, a shock promotion to No 3 in the England batting line-up for a crunch match would be a huge change.
