Published: Aug 24, 2024, 02:24 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 24, 2024, 02:25 PM (IST)
The Surrey wicketkeeper-batter’s century occurred at a pivotal moment for England and contributed to a new chapter in the annals of English cricket history.
Smith hit a Test century, making history as the youngest England wicketkeeper to do so. Les Ames set a record in 1930 when he became the first wicketkeeper to reach 100 in a Test match at the age of 24, but Smith broke that record at the age of 24, 42 days.
However, Smith kept his celebrations modest and understated, in contrast to other athletes.
“I probably didn’t show it but inwardly I was obviously very happy with that milestone,” Smith was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Remarkably, Smith thanked Ian Bell, who is now serving as the Sri Lankan team’s batting coach for the current series against England.
“Belly (Ian) has been a great help for me both in the Lions and with Birmingham Phoenix for the last couple of years. The knowledge that he passed on and his willingness to throw balls at me before games when I had an eye on the Test series is something I’m really grateful for.
“It’s great when people are willing to be in your corner, I guess, and help you out even though they’re in the opposition side. So I was grateful for his help,” Smith said.
Bell, who was supporting Smith as the next big thing in English cricket while with the other team for the series, tried to find the fun side of the situation.
“Yeah, it was annoying,” Bell said with a smile. “On a serious note, someone like Jamie, I think you can see it. He’s going to be a world-class player for England over a long period of time. He is class and it’s up to us now to find ways of getting him out in this series. There’s a small part that I suppose I played in his development but I’ve watched a guy who’s worked extremely hard. He’s taken to international cricket with ease.”
“Even his celebration just shows the kind of person he is. He’s calm and I’m sure he’s going to be a massive part of this England team in all formats to come over a long time,” Bell added.
