Jamie Smith and Brook Power England’s Test Century Fightback
It was a master-class in counter-attacking cricket by Yorkshire top-order batsman, Harry Brook, who combined with wicket-keeper Jamie Smith towards pushing England to stage one of the greatest comebacks in the history of Test cricket, on the third day of the second Test against India at Edgbaston. His explosive knock of ninth century of Tests came in only 137 balls with Jamie Smith giving him the ideal foil with crunching stroke plays that are now among the quickest century partnerships recorded in Test cricket.
The aggressive batting style of Jamie Smith also helped in England making a comeback as the wicketkeeper-batsman initiated the charge on the bowlers of India right in the first innings. The contribution with Harry Brook turned Smith collaboration, which otherwise seemed like a collapse by an English batting line eventually to establish dominance. The high scoring rate of the two runners was compared to some of the quickest century runs at the Tests cricket in the recent years, and in the case of the duo Jamie Smith scored, his role was just as instrumental to the century stand of Brook.
At the end of Day 2 England batting line-up had been reduced to 77/3 and Brook stood unbeaten on 30. This scenario was worsened when Mohammed Siraj bowled a great spell early on Tuesday when he bowled out Joe Root and the captain Ben Stokes in successive deliveries. The two blows by Siraj had left England near to crumbling but the arrival of Jamie Smith at the crease changed all that.
The hurricane opening bowling by Mohammed Siraj on the third day took India completely on top of the game, but he got three of the England batsmen, two of whom are their most senior player in the first two balls. Siraj was accurate and was in a fine rhythm as England looked lost, however, once Jamie Smith was the next man to bat, the advantage of the bowler over the batter on the psychological front was lost. How to react to the threat by Siraj was shown by the aggressive reaction of the wicketkeeper who has made a brave call which has made him a very valuable asset to England Test cricket setup.
Harry Brook recorded the record with the fastest century in test cricket, scoring his 100 on only 137 balls, yet Jamie Smith also played an important role in helping to continue the flow of the game. The ability of J Smith to hit boundaries ensured that the scoreboard ran as Brook established his stance. Their collaboration featured the best Test cricket possibly as both batsmen did not permit the bowlers of India to find their dreaded spells.
His century in this Test was extra special following his heart-breaking 99 in the first Test at Headingley. The aggressive right-hander made no such disappointment this time as he broke the milestone in fine style. The speed of his century is one of the quickest in modern test history with a combination of technical perfection and stress batting ability.
