Jamie Smith says he does not feel out of his depth after he became the youngest wicketkeeper-batter ever to reach a maiden century in Test cricket for England.
Smith converted his 72 at the end of day two into a well-earned ton in the morning session on day three to help England gain a lead of 122 against Sri Lanka, with Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain and Ian Ward saying he has “taken to Test cricket like a duck to water.”
Smith’s 111 featured eight boundaries and one six before the curse of Nelson struck and he edged Prabath Jayasuriya (3-85) behind to his counterpart Dinesh Chandimal but, unlike his dismissal on 95 against the West Indies last month at Edgbaston, he was well ahead of his milestone at Emirates Old Trafford.
“The main feeling has been of enjoyment, I’ve really enjoyed playing in this side and being out there,” Smith said.
“I don’t feel like I’m out of my depth, everyone is high quality and you don’t feel like you’re battling.
“It was great to get a century, it’s something you wish for and a nice one to tick off.
“On 98, I was thinking about running down and launching it but I’m not going to change the way I was playing just because of the sake of a milestone.
“It was nice to come away with it but if I changed the way I was playing and got out I would’ve been annoyed.”
At 24 years and 40 days old, Smith’s 111 makes him the youngest English wicketkeeper-batter ever to reach a century, 293 days earlier than his current stand-in captain Ollie Pope.
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Smith, chosen ahead of Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow, has impressed both with his batting and his excellent glovework behind the stumps since making his Test debut against the West Indies.
The Surrey wicketkeeper credited his success to the encouraging and nurturing dressing room culture that captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have cultivated.
“It’s given me great confidence coming into this side and the messaging from the staff has helped me play my natural game and it’s brought the best out of me,” Smith added.
“It was a pretty good feeling, I felt like I missed out against West Indies so it was more special to get over the line but putting on some runs and getting us into a lead was the most important thing.
“It was tough going with how slow the outfield was, there were less boundaries than you’re hoping for and less value for shots because it’s a flat wicket so I had to put in harder graft than other innings but it was really enjoyable.”
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Smith has taken four catches in the Sri Lanka series so far, with his only criticism coming from the evening session on day three when his gloves were in front of the stumps – ruling a potential wicket-taking delivery as a no-ball by the third umpire.
The decision was not costly in the end after the lbw review off Shoaib Bashir’s (0-61) bowling in the 36th over showed an umpire’s call ruling.
“I actually never knew about that, I thought if you broke the line then it was a no-ball,” admitted Smith.
“[Life as a Test cricketer is] not easy at all. Everybody knows there are going to be ups and downs and I am riding the wave a little bit at the moment.
“It is great to contribute and show people what you can do when you are at your best.
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“There are going to be times when you are out of form, out of nick, and there is going to be that judgement coming so it is almost when you do feel really good about yourself and the way you are playing, it is about taking advantage of that when you can.
“The main thing is the team is winning and that is the most important thing for me.
“I’m always looking for a learning experience. There’s not much time on training days and there’s a quick turnaround playing in this series so I’m learning on the job.
“You’re having great fun and not worried about the stress that comes with it.”
Smith destined to be a ‘world-class player’
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Sri Lanka batting coach Ian Bell, who coached Smith during his time with England Lions and at Birmingham Phoenix, believes he has a bright future ahead of him.
“Yeah, it is annoying! No, on a serious note – he scored a fantastic hundred on the Sri Lanka A Tour and I think he is going to be a world-class player for England over a long period of time,” Bell said.
“He is class and the players have acknowledged that. Fair play to him today.
“The game was on the line this morning.
“Credit to Jamie and on the small part I have played in his development – I have watched him work really hard, he is confident, and he has taken to international cricket with ease.
“Even his celebration just shows the person he is.
“He is calm and I am sure he is going to be a massive part of this England team across all formats for a long time.”
Watch day four from Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10.15am, Saturday (first ball, 11am).
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