Ben Foakes was given the duty in 2022–2023 when Bairstow was sidelined by injury for a considerable portion of the campaign. After five games in the 2023–24 season, Foakes’ average slipped to 20.50, and he was eventually benched despite his early success. Jamie Smith was brought in as a new face by the team management after his performance on the most recent tour to India was evaluated.
As far as Test cricket is concerned, Jonny Bairstow was England’s first-choice keeper for most of the Ben Stokes period. His flamboyance and aggressive style of cricketing in Test matches made him an important member of the England side, but the Three Lions had to go elsewhere for players because of his inconsistent play and lack of situational awareness.
Although the 24-year-old had excelled in first-class cricket, there were concerns about his ability to perform similarly in international contests. But in a short amount of time, Smith has shown himself to be a useful asset, as the cricketer has made important runs against Sri Lanka and the West Indies. With Ben Stokes out of the picture for the first Test against Sri Lanka, Smith was given more responsibility, and he performed admirably to help England build an early lead.
With his 72* runs and his partnerships with Chris Woakes and Harry Brook, Smith would now want to assist England establish a commanding lead on Day 3. Smith’s knock really thrilled former cricketer Stuart Broad, who also highlighted how the player resolved a significant issue in Test cricket.
“He has performed admirably. In the end, it was just this situation that England found themselves in, which is why he was selected. With Ben Stokes at number seven and the tail, they still believe they can find the boundary and score a large amount of runs when the lower order is in. It’s a fantastic chance for him; he’s already performed admirably for his seventy. When fielders are all on the boundary batting with a No 11, Jonny Bairstow still finds the boundary, making him one of the best I’ve seen, Broad told.
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“Tomorrow morning, Jamie Smith can push twos when he needs to, take the strike, farm the strike, and blast sixes when he can if he sticks around and bats with the No. 10 and 11. He’s only under pressure to perform in that situation, but he has all the skills necessary to do it, according to Broad.
Prior to overseas tours, England is eager to give Jamie Smith a run.
With the Ashes tour in mind, England will probably offer Jamie Smith a lot of chances. It remains to be seen if he can maintain this form in the forthcoming away visits against Pakistan and New Zealand. He has performed admirably in home conditions thus far.
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