England’s new wicketkeeper, Jamie Smith, is aiming to emulate the attacking style of Brendon McCullum, the man who gave him his chance in both Test and ODI cricket this season. It was McCullum, the head coach of England’s Test team, who made the bold decision to install Smith as the Test team’s wicketkeeper at the start of the summer, overlooking the more experienced Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow. Smith’s impressive performances in his first six Tests have already earned him comparisons to the legendary Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, Adam Gilchrist. Now, he’s been given the opportunity to impress in the limited-overs format, where Gilchrist excelled, by being selected for the five-match ODI series against Australia.
While McCullum doesn’t officially take charge of England’s white-ball setup until January, his influence on the team is undeniable. It was McCullum, who himself was a dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman during his playing days, who informed Smith after the recent Test series against Sri Lanka that he would be taking over from the injured Jos Buttler, who is stepping aside from wicketkeeping duties to focus on captaincy.
“To be told I’m keeping wicket for England in a couple of formats now is nice,” Smith said during a pre-match press conference at Trent Bridge. “I found out just after the last Test finished at the Oval… Baz (McCullum) told me I was going to be keeping. Smith added: “He’s sort of what I look to be as a cricketer, I guess: that nice attacking wicketkeeper-batsman. It gives you confidence to have someone there that’s had that sort of experience. “You don’t tend to get too many wicketkeepers that are coaches and have an important role in the side, to help you along the way, so it’s great to have him.”
Smith’s journey to the England team has been a remarkable one. He has often served as a specialist batsman for Surrey, with Ben Foakes being the county champions’ first-choice wicketkeeper. “I’d say up to this point in my career it’s been about batting first and I’ve been keeping on the side,” said Smith. “But that’s about your role in the side. When you’ve got Ben Foakes in your team, you’re not going to be the wicketkeeper. I was happy just to bat because it’s something I love doing, so it’s a new tag for me but an exciting one. To keep in the Test series was a fantastic vote of confidence.”
Meanwhile, England has bolstered their ODI squad for the series against Australia by adding Saqib Mahmood, who impressed in the recent T20 series. Mahmood joins an already strong pace attack featuring Jofra Archer, Matthew Potts, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley, and John Turner. This series promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of the world’s best cricket teams, with Smith eager to make his mark on the international stage.
