England’s cricket management has decided to maintain Jamie Smith’s position at number seven in the batting order, despite his impressive performances and potential comparisons to legendary players. New Zealand head coach Brendon McCullum made the announcement after Smith’s stunning performance in the last Test series against India.
Jamie Smith, 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, has been a consistent catalyst since his debut last summer. He is a whopping 58.64 batting average machine at just 12 Test matches. In the second Test at Edgbaston, he produced a career-defining performance with the bat scoring 184 not out. He added 88 runs as a key member of the squad that fought back from 84-5 to win the tie. This innings marked the highest score by an England wicketkeeper at number seven in Test history. It equally demonstrated Smith’s viciousness on the counter attack when pressed.
For his county team Surrey he plays as a specialist batter at four. Though he may not be the first-choice gloveman, his impact on the national team has changed remarkably in a short time frame. McCullum emphasized that they see Smith’s development as crucial for the team’s dynamics.
“He’s just developing at rapid speed, and from our point of view, we’re very happy with him at number seven and with the gloves on.” – Brendon McCullum
McCullum was unequivocal in his insistence that England will not move Smith up the order just yet, either. Lance expects that, with stability in this important position, Smith’s potential will fully blossom. He made sure to note that they are not attempting to shove Jacob Bethell down the team’s throat. Rather, they’re committed to developing Smith’s skills in the number seven slot.
“When we made the decision to bring Jamie Smith into Test cricket, we were hopeful that he’d be able to have that sort of impact, obviously in the middle, but also being able to have the power that he’s got with the tail too.” – Brendon McCullum
The national team’s head coach had made comparisons between Smith and Australian cricket great Adam Gilchrist. Both were brilliant wicketkeeper-middle-order batsmen. McCullum is adamant that Gilchrist could have flourished in his role without the pressure of being moved up the order. He’ll be damned if Smith isn’t afforded the exact same chance to learn and develop and succeed.
“You wouldn’t have done that to Gilchrist, so I don’t think we should do that to Smith.” – Brendon McCullum
Despite his youth and relative inexperience, Smith’s unflappable performances have bred a newfound confidence in the England camp. As they continue to face challenging opponents, including India, the management remains optimistic about his contributions, especially with the lower order.
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