Jamie Smith is looking to Brendan McCullum for inspiration after handpicking him as England’s new one-day wicketkeeper.
McCullum quickly inserted Smith into the Test squad earlier in the summer, skipping Jonny Bairstow and Ben Fawkes a generation later, and the results have been impressive enough for him to do the same again for the ODI series against Australia this month.
McCullum won’t officially take charge of the white-ball side until January, but there’s no doubt the charismatic Kiwi is already in command ahead of Thursday’s opener at Trent Bridge.
At the end of the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, it was McCollum who pulled Smith aside and informed him that he was the preferred choice for Jos Buttler ahead of T20 keeper Phil Salt. Buttler is currently injured but is ready to step down permanently to make way for the new captaincy.
McCollum made a name for himself as a free-spirited, stroke-making goalkeeper-batsman during his playing days, and if he sees a similar spirit in Smith, he will feel the same way.
White Ball Excitement
“It’s good to hear that I will keep England’s wicket in some formats now. I found out right after the last Test at the Oval… Baz said I would keep it,” he said.
“It was a bit of a surprise when he took over the white-ball role. I didn’t expect that at all. But in the short time I spent with him, he was fantastic.
“He is the type of player I would expect to see in a cricketer – an aggressive wicketkeeper and batsman.
If someone has had that experience, it gives you confidence.
“There aren’t many coaches and wicketkeepers who play such an important role in a team, so it’s great to have him.”
While Bairstow has built his identity as a cricketer around two roles, and Fawkes has established himself as one of the most gifted glovesmen on the planet, Smith has a different profile.
scorer
He grew up seeing himself as a run-scorer first and foremost, and is prepared to step up behind the stumps when required. And that wasn’t always the case, having played much of his domestic career alongside Foakes at Surrey.
“My career so far has been about getting to the plate first, and then staying on the sidelines,” he admitted.
“But that’s what your role is in the team. When Ben Fawkes is in the team, you’re not going to be the wicketkeeper. I was just happy to be up there batting because that’s what I love to do. So it’s a new tag for me but it’s an exciting tag.
“It was a huge vote of confidence to leave the Test series, that you are good enough and they think you are good enough to go out there and do that role.
“Then it’s about learning little tricks and tips that you can use in a variety of situations.”
England have added Saqib Mahmood to their squad for this series and have retained the Lancashire seamer, who played both T20 matches last week.
Mahmood played his last of eight ODIs in Bangladesh 18 months ago and has bolstered an attacking line-up that includes Jofra Archer, Matthew Potts, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley and John Turner.
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