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The battle over wicketkeeping culture in England has lasted for many years. But the globe was at peace on Friday, if only for a day.
In a space normally occupied by debates contrasting skill with perseverance, catch percentage with batting average, a serene balance was achieved. A new and welcome respite.
Jamie Smith’s first Test century belongs in Manchester, while Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes scored County Championship half-centuries in Scarborough and south London, respectively. Off-Broadway, two outstanding careers continue, but Smith takes centre stage for a run that already seems to outlast both of them.
Smith will inevitably become embroiled in that argument. People are already questioning whether he really needs the gloves. But don’t get too caught up in any of that just yet. He’ll be here for a very long time.
His innings of 111, which came one match after he had missed his century by five runs in the third Test against the West Indies, featured gear shifts, calming drives, and the occasional ridiculous whip to the leg side. Smith had been satisfied with his situation at the end of his innings, but he did admit that he would feel “a little bit gutted in a couple of days”. There has been no delay at all, and that sadness never materialised.
But there was a deep sense of pride hidden beneath the composed facade. His partner, with whom he is expecting his first kid, and his parents were on the ground. Once he left the pitch at stumps, messages from spectators from a distance were picked up, all of which emphasised how amazing it was for him to have come this far.
Coincidentally, he was sitting on the balcony in Sri Lanka with one of his early supporters. Ian Bell, who is the tourists’ current batting coach, was Smith’s assistant coach when he was coaching the England Lions. Additionally, they have been training together with Birmingham Phoenix for the past month in the men’s Hundred, where Bell would tease Smith by saying he was eager to provide Sri Lanka with the information required to top Smith.
With 18 catches under his belt thus far, his glovework has been excellent. However, on Wednesday, he lost the opportunity to record his maiden stumping when Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva had 65 runs in the bank. Due to his excitement on Friday, he was warned for violating a rare no-ball law when England reviewed an LBW shout against Kamindu Mendis, who was undefeated, because his gloves were not “wholly behind the stumps”. Smith acknowledged that he did not fully understand the gravity of his transgression. “Going forward, I’ll be aware of the law,” he smirked.