Brook’s talent is well known, having scored a triple century in Pakistan recently, but it was wicketkeeper Smith, who was the surprise element
Harry Brook celebrates his century vs India yesterday. Pic/Getty Images; (right) England’s Jamie Smith lofts one against India yesterday. Pic/Bipin Patel
It was a combination of a flat pitch and poor tactics by India that allowed England to get away after the hosts were in a tight corner when Mohammed Siraj had claimed Joe Root and Ben Stokes off successive deliveries first thing on the third morning of the second Test at Edgbaston on Friday. That led to an animated debate in the media box about whether India should enforce the follow-on. But all that talk became meaningless after a couple of hours of brilliant batting by the English duo of Jamie Smith and Harry Brook.
Brook’s talent is well known, having scored a triple century in Pakistan recently, but it was wicketkeeper Smith, who was the surprise element. Though he had played a good hand when England chased down a big target in the first Test at Headingley, there were doubts whether he would be able to handle the intense pressure England were under as pacers Siraj and Akash Deep were breathing down their necks.
However, as India failed to get another breakthrough, captain Shubman Gill went on the defensive, having only one slip and a gully and placing three fielders on the leg-side boundary. He also asked Prasidh Krishna to bounce out Smith, who instead took the bowling and put India on the back foot. As the ball got older, the batters gained in confidence. Runs flowed at a rapid pace as India conceded 172 runs in the morning session. That was the third-highest ever conceded by India in the opening session, following 231 on the fourth day against Australia in 2015 and 176 on the second day at Rajkot against England in 2024.
England had begun Day Three at 77-3 and were down to 84-5 with the dismissal of Root and Stokes. That was the time when there was a need to tighten the noose around Brook and Smith. Gill got the duo to face short balls in the hope that they would hole out in the deep, but the plan backfired and England raced away to 249-5 at lunch and 355-5 at tea.
The highlight of the morning session’s play was that Smith became only the second batsman after South African AB de Villiers to score a century in the session before lunch against India. AB (119 not out) had achieved this feat in Centurion in 2010-11. Smith’s century came off just 80 balls with 14 fours and three sixes. He became only the ninth England batter to score a century before lunch.
The huge 303-run sixth-wicket partnership between Brook and Smith did not just save the follow-on, it has also given England hope of making a match of this.
80
No. of balls taken by Jamie Smith to score his century, the fastest by an English batter against India
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
