Jamie Smith’s Rise Demands Promotion In England's Struggling Batting Order

Jamie Smith. [Source - SurreyCricket/Instagram]

Jamie Smith has been the talk of the town after his terrific century in the Edgbaston Test against India recently. But is number 7 too low for the English keeper-batter? While it is common for wicketkeepers to bat in the lower middle order, Smith’s immense potential with the bat demands a serious rethink in England’s batting strategy.

Jamie Smith Too Good to Bat That Low

It was 85 for 5 on the scoreboard for England early in the Day 3 at Edgbaston when Jamie Smith walked out in the middle to face a fiery Mohammed Siraj, who was on a hat-trick. The 24-year-old must not have faced a more intense situation in his career than this, but he stood tall and delivered one of the most breathtaking counterattacking century in recent English Test history.

For a wicketkeeper just a year into his Test career and just two centuries to his name, Smith looks far too accomplished to be batting as low as No. 7 in England’s current Test setup. If he can produce the kind of innings we saw against India, it raises a valid question that how dangerous could he be if promoted a couple of positions higher in the batting order.

Moreover, Smith’s batting prowess carries shades of Adam Gilchrist’s fearless style, who was arguably the greatest keeper-batter to grace the game. While the Australian veteran spent the majority of his career batting at No. 7, England's current situation is vastly different for Smith to continue the same.

The current England’s batting line-up has been consistently underwhelming since the previous World Test Championship Cycle and Smith’s promotion is not just about potential, it’s about necessity. 

Table - England Top 7 Test Batters' Average in Last One Year.

The likes of Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, and captain Ben Stokes himself have struggled consistently with the bat, underlining the need for England to make the most of the current form and potential of the Surrey-born cricketer.

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Too Soon for a Promotion? What Jamie Smith’s First-Class Record Really Reveals

Well, for the numbers, we do not have to look too far back. Jamie Smith’s maiden Test century came last year, batting at No. 6, against Sri Lanka, in the absence of skipper Ben Stokes. Moreover, the innings that truly announced his arrival, a blistering 71-ball hundred for England Lions in 2023, came batting at No. 5.

To add further weight, Smith has 12 First-Class centuries to his name so far, and 11 of those have come when he was not batting at No. 7. His unbeaten 184 against India at Edgbaston was his maiden First-Class ton scored batting in that position.

Table - Jamie Smith First Class Batting Records At Each Batting Position

Interestingly, Smith has not even been the first-choice keeper at Surrey for most of his domestic career, with Ben Foakes keeping majorly. As a result, Smith featured in 43 of his 60 First-Class games for Surrey purely as a batter. .

His immense talent was evident from the start when he scored a century on First-Class debut in 2019 against a Stuart Broad-led bowling attack of MCC XI in Dubai. But a lack of role clarity and the absence of a fixed batting position in the Surrey side delayed his rise as a consistent performer.

Fast forward to 2023, Smith scored remarkable 71-ball hundred for the Lions which changed his fortunes and Surrey began consistently batting him at No. 4 in the County Championship. Eventually, Smith truly found his rhythm, scoring nearly 1500 runs for Surrey at No. 4 at an average of 53.2 till date. The promise had turned into performance.

Table - Jamie Smith Records At 4 in Surrey in last two County Championship.

So, as the numbers suggest, Jamie Smith isn’t just a keeper who can bat, he is a batter capable of making a real difference if given a more prominent role. While No. 4 is firmly held by Joe Root, England must act fast and consider promoting Smith to at least No. 6 as of now where he already has a Test century and averages 40.9 in FC cricket since 2023.

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