England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith is hoping to turn the page on a difficult stretch of Test cricket when England begin their World Test Championship series against Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday.
Smith made an impressive start to his Test career and quickly established himself as England’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter. But after enjoying a remarkable opening phase, the 26-year-old has seen his batting numbers dip over the past year.
His early Test record was particularly impressive. Smith averaged 58.64 in his first 12 Tests and reached 1,000 Test runs in just 21 innings, matching the record for the fastest wicketkeeper to reach the milestone.
Since then, however, consistency has proved harder to find.
Smith managed just one half-century during England’s Ashes campaign in Australia, scoring 60 in Adelaide as England went on to lose the series 4-1.
After 22 Tests, his career average has now dropped to 39.62. Even during the difficult period, though, Smith has continued to produce important contributions, scoring three fifties in his last 10 Tests.
His most recent innings will give him some confidence heading into the Pakistan series. Smith made 60 against New Zealand at Trent Bridge and now wants to build on that performance.
“I’ve obviously been slightly disappointed with how the last six to nine months have gone. They’ve been challenging, there’s no doubt about that,” Smith told the Press Association.
“But I think every player experiences that throughout their career and I feel like I will be better for these experiences.”
The England batter believes the difficult period can ultimately help him become a more complete Test player, particularly when it comes to dealing with challenging conditions.
He also hopes the innings at Trent Bridge can provide the foundation for a return to his best against Pakistan.
“Hopefully against Pakistan, I can play how I played in the last innings at Trent Bridge and have a bit more success there,” Smith said.
Keeping remains a key focus
Smith’s development has not been restricted to his batting.
As England’s wicketkeeper, he has also been working to improve his game behind the stumps, with former England great Sarah Taylor now helping him develop the technical side of his keeping.
Taylor is widely regarded as one of the finest wicketkeepers of her generation, and Smith believes her experience has already proved valuable.
Rather than looking for an instant transformation, Smith and Taylor have been working on small technical adjustments that could improve his keeping over the long term.
“I’m definitely enjoying working with Sarah, she’s a fantastic coach and brings a lot of energy every day,” Smith said.
“We’ve had some good periods already in the short time she’s worked with England.”
Smith admitted the changes have produced mixed results so far, but he believes the work is heading in the right direction.
“I’ve just worked on little bits. It’s had varying degrees of success; it’s more of a project.”
The wicketkeeper-batter also acknowledged that mistakes can sometimes make progress difficult to judge from the outside.
“I feel like I’ve been keeping better but then you’re obviously disappointed with a couple of mistakes you made that make it seem like you haven’t been doing the work or the work isn’t working.”
Despite those setbacks, Smith remains confident that the technical work with Taylor will benefit him as his career develops.
McCullum’s backing still remembered
Smith also credited former England head coach Brendon McCullum for giving him the confidence to take on the demanding role of Test wicketkeeper.
Keeping wicket at international level had been one of Smith’s biggest concerns, particularly because he had not spent a long period keeping for his county before making the step up to Test cricket.
McCullum, however, backed Smith to become one of the best wicketkeepers in the world.
“When you’re not keeping for your county, it can bring a fair amount of criticism, but he instilled a lot of confidence in me to be one of the best in the world,” Smith said.
“That definitely helped me because keeping was one of the things I was most anxious about.”
That backing allowed Smith to approach the role with greater confidence and helped him establish himself as an important part of England’s Test side.
Pakistan challenge arrives at Headingley
The Pakistan series comes at an interesting time for England, with the team entering another phase of its Test journey.
Joe Root is back as captain for a second stint, while England continue to shape their squad for the World Test Championship cycle.
For Smith, the immediate task is much simpler: rediscover the form that made him one of England’s most exciting young Test batters.
The first Test of the series will be played at Headingley from Wednesday, giving Smith an early opportunity to build on his promising 60 against New Zealand and remind everyone why he made such a rapid impact at the beginning of his Test career.
With both his batting and wicketkeeping under the spotlight, Pakistan will provide Smith with another important test — and potentially the perfect stage for him to begin the next chapter of his Test career.
England squad for first two Tests against Pakistan
Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith and Josh Tongue.
