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.”
If he is to be an all-format regular, Smith may have a busy 12 months ahead with next month’s Champions Trophy followed by a home Test series against India in the summer and next winter’s Ashes in Australia.
The 24-year-old is therefore thankful he had some downtime before Christmas as his partner gave birth to their son, Noah, which meant Smith opted out of England’s most recent Test series in New Zealand.
His decision brought about the possibility of him losing his Test place and while Ollie Pope performed well as England claimed a 2-1 series win, it was a risk Smith was all too happy to take.
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Watch the best shots from Smith’s maiden Test century for England, against Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford
“There’s no regrets on that front,” he said. “The six weeks I spent [at home] was the best six weeks I’ve ever had. It was a break for a little bit and then it was some early mornings and late evenings!
“It’s been fantastic to get some time away from the game and a busy schedule, it’s always nice and it’s something you don’t get the luxury to get.
“I’m grateful for the support of the guys here and the England and Wales Cricket Board in general for the way they went about it and allowing me to make that decision on my own without any added pressure.”
While many of his England team-mates in India put themselves forward and were snapped up for the Indian Premier League, Smith declined to throw his name into the hat for November’s player auction.
“With a young family at home and the potential to be away a lot with England this year, there’s a lot of cricket, it was best for me to pull out this year,” Smith added.
“Family has always been my priority, you are a long time on the road and any time I can spend at home, is good. This is a long tour, two or three months so I want to be at home as much as I can.
“Hopefully I can showcase what I am about as a cricketer for potential IPL moving forward. it’s definitely something I want to try.”
England in India – results and fixtures
All times UK and Ireland
- First T20: Wednesday January 22 – Eden Gardens, Kolkata – India won by seven wickets
- Second T20: Saturday January 25 – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – India won by two wickets
- Third T20: Tuesday January 28 (1.30pm) – Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot
- Fourth T20: Friday January 31 (1.30pm) – Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
- Fifth T20: Sunday February 2 (1.30pm) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- First ODI: Thursday February 6 (8am) – Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
- Second ODI: Sunday February 9 (8am) – Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
- Third ODI: Wednesday February 12 (8am) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
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