Smith to open for England against West Indies

Yahoo

2 days ago

England have promoted Jamie Smith to open the batting in Harry Brook's first one-day international since being appointed full-time white-ball captain.
Smith will open alongside Ben Duckett against West Indies at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Former captain Jos Buttler and all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks are in the side after returning from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Smith, who batted at number three during England's dismal Champions Trophy campaign this year, has never opened in List A cricket.
Brook, 26, said he and coach Brendon McCullum had a hunch that Smith, who bats at seven and keeps wicket for the Test side, could be an "amazing" white-ball opener.
"He's got the strength to do so - the technique to be able to face the swinging ball," Brook told BBC Sport.
"As we've seen in Test cricket, he's a very good player. He can put their best balls under pressure from any position."
Smith has opened in first-class and T20 cricket. In three innings at number three in the Champions Trophy, he averaged only eight.
Surrey's Jacks, a regular white-ball opener, would have been another option at the top of the order. He is instead listed at seven, one place behind fellow spin-bowling all-rounder Bethell.
They are followed by Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse, fast bowlers who are more than handy with the bat.
Pace bowlers Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson are missing because of injuries.
Overton as one of three frontline seamers is a potential concern, but England look to have more bowling options and greater batting depth than at the Champions Trophy.
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England team to face West Indies in first ODI: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid.
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England's Atkinson ruled out of West Indies ODIs
Buttler, who resigned as captain in February following a wretched 18-month run of results, will keep wicket and bats at number five.
On Buttler, arguably England's greatest white-ball batter of all-time, being freed of the captaincy, Brook said: "That weight will be lifted off his shoulders.
"He's the best white-ball player in the world. He can just go out there and showcase his skills."
Under Buttler, England won the T20 World Cup in 2022, then endured awful campaigns at the 2023 World Cup, 2024 T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy.
England have lost their past seven ODIs.
"It's a new era now; new leadership," said Brook. "Hopefully we can bring a lot of energy, competitiveness and a lot of fun out there.
"We'll try to engage the crowd as much as we can and try to get some wins under our belt."
England's poor run has left them in danger of missing out on automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup.
Brook's side are likely to need a place in the top nine of the world rankings in March 2027 in order to avoid going through a qualifying tournament. They begin this three-match series in eighth, one place ahead of West Indies.
The Windies, who did not qualify for the most recent World Cup, drew a three-match series in Ireland 1-1 last week.
"It's a fresh start and a different series," said West Indies captain Shai Hope.
"World Cup qualification is our main goal, but we can't get to 2027 without ticking each box."
Bethell returns to international cricket after missing the Champions Trophy through injury and skipping England's Test victory against Zimbabwe because of his IPL commitments.
The 21-year-old, who will line up on his home ground for Warwickshire, was born in Barbados and caught the attention of Hope as a teenager.
"I saw him during his under-15 stint. He always looked like a quality player," said Hope.
"Seeing what he's done, he's certainly a formidable talent. He can go a very long way.
"I'm happy for him, but we're enemies this time."
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