Despite not being the first choice of his county team, Jamie Smith has come up as a big asset for the same. Smith will turn 24 on day three of the Lord’s Test. The young player scored a century for Surrey in their ongoing County Championship match against Essex at the Kia Oval.
Jamie’s century came just hours after it was announced that he would take over as England’s keeper from his county teammate, Ben Foakes, who is still Surrey’s first preference in the role. Despite not being the first choice for their counties, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir get backed by Rob Key for test series.
Rob Key supports rare talent
Speaking in the aftermath of the squad announcement, Rob Key, England men’s managing director, backed counties’ ability to select teams that meet their specific needs. Surrey is chasing a third consecutive County Championship victory with a team that includes Foakes batting at No. 5 and Dan Lawrence – whom Key expressly listed as England’s “reserve batsman” – playing as their frontline spinner.
“People are never happy when they’re dropped, and I never want them to be,” Key said, adding that Brendon McCullum, the Test coach, had made the initial calls to inform both players of their omissions.
“Jonny just needs to get back to what he was a couple of years ago,” Key said, referencing Bairstow’s astonishing run of form in the original “Bazball” summer of 2022, when his four hundreds in five innings propelled a stunning turnaround in the Test team’s fortunes.
“I love what he did in India” Rob Key on Shoaib Bashir
Key noted that he could not overlook the character shown by Bashir during his debut series in India. Despite coming in with only ten first-class wickets for Somerset, he left with two five-wicket hauls.
“I love watching what he did in India,” Key said. “That was a tough task for someone to come in and do what he did. And when you watch him bowl, you just think he’s got everything, really, as a spinner. And he will get better.”He’s right at the beginning of his career now, so we’re backing him to grow as time goes on. But this doesn’t mean that Leach’s time is done with us. If there’s ever a time when we need a second spinner, in places like Pakistan, I’d imagine that would be Jack Leach.” He added.
In contrast, no one criticizes Foakes’ skill as a wicketkeeper, as it is consistently regarded as one of the top in international cricket. Nevertheless, his performance with the bat during the recent India tour did not live up to the anticipated level of energy from the current Test team, as he only scored 205 runs in ten innings at a strike-rate of under 40. In Ranchi, he scored 17 runs from 76 balls, when England needed a counterattack the most.
“Ben Foakes is an excellent keeper, his keeping’s not in question at all,” Key said. “But we want someone who can just up the ante at times when required. We feel that he can soak up pressure, and when he’s batting with a batsman at the other end, he’s more than capable. But his challenge is to bring that other side to his game.” He added.
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