Jamie Smith wants to carve out a role as a T20 finisher as he looks to be England's man of the season.
After cementing a position as England Test Wicketherker in 2024, despite missing a tour of New Zealand while taking up paternity, Smith is now desperate to establish himself in one-day internationals and T20s.
He has seven ODI caps and caught a glimpse of his T20 debut in Chennai on Saturday, confidently stepping away from his crease and Beand Roaltia Spinner Varun Chakravarthy for a six off his fourth ball.
With England 2-0 down in the five-match series after an agonizing two-jaw defeat, Smith's 22 off 12 deliveries is what England require from their innings tally.
And with more seasoned performers ahead of him in the batting order, Smith, given his chance in the second T20 as Jacob Bethell was unwell, will seize every chance.
“I want to play all formats for England,” he said, ahead of the series continuing in Rajkot on Tuesday. “That's the main goal. I see these games (as) an opportunity where I can experiment and show my skills, I want to do that.
“It would be nice to fix the role so everyone knows you're going to be that number six batsman in T20s, it gives you a bit of clarity to train and prepare.
“I have a very clear role in the Test side, keeping wicket and bowling seven. That seems a lot easier to prepare for. I feel confident that I can go out and perform in any role.”
If the format is right, Smith could have a busy 12 months ahead with next month's Champions Trophy followed by a home Test series against India in the summer and next winter's Ashes in Australia.
So the 24-year-old is grateful he had some downtime before Christmas as his partner gave birth to their son, Noah, which meant Smith sat out England's latest Test series in New Zealand.
His decision brought the possibility of losing a Test place and while Ollie Pope performed as England claimed a 2-1 series win, he was only too happy.
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Watch highlights from Smith's maiden Test century for England against Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford
“There are no regrets on that front,” he said. “The six weeks I spent (at home) were the best six weeks I've ever had. There were breaks for a bit and then it was a few early mornings and late nights!
“It was fantastic to get some time away from the game and a busy schedule, it's always nice and it's something you don't get the luxury of.
“I'm grateful for the support of the guys here and the England and Wales cricket board in general for the way they went about it and allowed me to make that decision without any added pressure.”
While many of his India team-mates have put forward a shot at the Indian premiership, Smith refused to throw his name in the hat for the auction in November.
“With a young family at home and the potential to be with England a lot this year, there's a lot of cricket, it was best for me to get out this year,” added this year, “I added this year,” Smith added.
“Family has always been my priority, a long time on the road and any time I can spend at home is good. This is a long tour, two or three months, so I want to be at home as much as I can.
“Hopefully I can show what I do as a cricketer for a potential IPL moving forward. It's definitely something I want to try.”
England in India – Results and Fixtures
All times Great Britain and Ireland
- First T20: Wednesday 22nd January – Eden Gardens, Kolkata – India won by seven wickets
- Second T20: Saturday 25th January – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai – India won by two slender
- Third T20: Tuesday 28th January (1.30 pm) – Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot
- Fourth T20: Friday January 31 (1.30pm) – Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
- Fifth T20: Sunday 2 February (1.30pm) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
- First ODI: Thursday 6th February (8:00am) – Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
- Other ODIs: Sunday 9th February (8am) – Barabati Stadium, Cuttack
- Third ODI: Wednesday February 12 (8:00 AM) – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
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