Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith hit his maiden Test hundred in only his fourth match in whites for England. Smith got to the landmark on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford. The Surrey cricketer got to the three-figure score in 136 balls to help England take the first-innings lead in Manchester.
Smith also became the youngest England wicketkeeper to hit a Test hundred. He broke the record held by Les Ames, who was 24 years and 63 days when he hit a Test hundred for England against the West Indies in Port of Spain in 1930.
It was a classy hundred from Jamie Smith, who looks set to enjoy a long career for England in whites. Having made his debut earlier this year against the West Indies, Smith looked comfortable from the word go. He played orthodox cricket shots and kept the scoreboard moving by running hard between wickets and then capitalising on boundary-scoring opportunities.
Smith was praised by Kumar Sangakkara, who was on air, for being compact and not playing loose strokes against a spirited Sri Lankan bowling line-up.Jamie Smith also became the first England wicketkeeper-batter to score a hundred since December 2022.
Ollie Pope, their stand-in captain in Manchester, was keeping wickets when he scored a hundred against Pakistan in Rawalpindi 18 months ago.
