Jamie Smith keen to take his chance and be England’s man for all seasons
Jamie Smith keen to take his chance and be England’s man for all seasons
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Jamie Smith wants to nail down a role as a T20 finisher as he seeks to be England’s man for all seasons. After cementing his position as England Test wicketkeeper in 2024 despite missing last month’s tour of New Zealand as he took paternity leave, Smith is now desperate to establish himself in one-day internationals and T20s.
He has seven ODI caps and briefly caught the eye on his T20 debut in Chennai on Saturday, confidently stepping out of his crease and belting India spinner Varun Chakravarthy for six from his fourth ball. While England went 2-0 down in the five-match series after an agonising two-wicket defeat, Smith’s 22 off 12 deliveries is what England require from their number six towards the back end of an innings.
And with more seasoned performers ahead of him in the batting order, Smith, given his chance in the second T20 because Jacob Bethell was unwell, will grab at any chance he receives with both hands. “I want to play all formats for England,” he said, ahead of the series resuming in Rajkot on Tuesday. “That’s the main goal. I’m seeing these games (as) an opportunity I get to experiment and showcase my skills, I want to do that.
“It would be nice to fix down a role so that everyone knows that you are going to be that number six batter in T20, it gives you a little bit more clarity to train and prepare with. “I’ve got a very clear role in the Test side, keeping wicket and batting seven. That makes it much easier to prepare for. I feel confident I can go out and perform in any role that is thrown at me.”.
