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The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Jamie Smith: ‘To win an away Ashes would be every England cricketer's dream'
'When the pressure's on,' Jamie Smith says intently on an otherwise languid morning at the Oval, 'it definitely gives you more of a focus. You can't get away from the fact that, when the game is on the line, you want to be the one that takes it on and wins it. Look at some of the best players that have played the game – and the impact they've had in situations where they've been needed the most. 'Look at Stokesy [Ben Stokes, his England captain] and some of the innings he's played where he's rescued the side from defeat or led them to victory. They're the things that get remembered. So it would be nice to be the sort of player that can do similar.' Smith has played only nine Tests so far, as England's wicketkeeper-batter who does not even stand behind the stumps for Surrey, but his impact has been so impressive with the bat and reassuring with the gloves that it prompts a simple question: whether the 24-year-old believes he can become that indisputably great player who makes a regular difference. 'Definitely,' Smith says, maintaining eye-contact with quiet authority. 'If you don't have that belief there's no point putting yourself through some of the stuff you have to as a cricketer. When you have a good day you want it to be a memorable day where you've put the side in a position to win. You've got to have that optimism that you can be the one that, on a given day, can win the game.' Smith's conviction will be tested like never before over the coming seven months. After next week's four-day Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, England face successive five-match series against India, the world's best team, and then in the cauldron of the Ashes in Australia. A year ago he was thought by many to be just another county hopeful. But in early 2023 Smith played a breakthrough innings on a turning wicket in Sri Lanka, when he crafted and then blasted a 71-ball century for England Lions. Rob Key, the managing director of the England cricket team, watched Smith bat that day in Galle and it was not long before Stokes began talking about him. 'It was a huge turning point,' Smith remembers. 'I didn't have a great year for Surrey in 2022. We won the championship but I didn't play a big role. So to be on that Lions tour and to score a quick hundred, playing the way I wanted, took everything to the next level. Until that point I never had the confidence but that freed me up to really expand my game.' Smith began his innings in Galle steadily and he told Alex Lees, who was batting with him, that, ''I don't feel I can slog-sweep here.' Alex said: 'Yes, you can. Go for it.' I remember doing it the next ball and it went for six.' That life-changing knock did not come out of nowhere. Just under four years earlier Smith scored 127 for Surrey on his first-class debut against an MCC team led by Stuart Broad – who finally dismissed the 18-year-old after he'd faced 192 balls. It still took a characteristic gamble from Stokes and England's coach Brendon McCullum to decide last summer that Smith, who bats at four for Surrey, would become their Test wicketkeeper while, at No 7, having the guile to steer the tail. More controversially, Smith was chosen ahead of Ben Foakes, his Surrey teammate regarded by many as the world's best wicketkeeper, and the vastly experienced Jonny Bairstow. On his Test debut, against West Indies at Lord's last July, Smith kept wicket tidily before scoring a sumptuous 70 which included smashing a massive six out of the ground. He smiles wryly when I ask if they found the ball on the St John's Wood Road. 'No, but I would have liked it if they had done – to have it as a memento.' He came close to his first Test hundred two weeks later, scoring 95 at Edgbaston, but the milestone fell in his next innings – with a stylish 111 against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford. Smith's low-key response after reaching his century was as notable. 'Obviously, inwardly, I was ecstatic. But the team side always drives me on. How can I put the team in the best position? If I'm thinking of the team then I'm not worried about myself and it frees me up.' An hour in Smith's company is revealing as he discusses an ambition that has burned in him for a very long time – since he was a boy who undertook solitary net sessions with a local coach, Matt Homes, at 7am every Saturday for 10 years. His parents were not pushy, and his dad was more smitten by their beloved West Ham than cricket, but Smith thought long and hard about how he could become a distinctive cricketer. 'It was just enjoyable,' he adds. 'The variety of stuff that we did was almost five years ahead. From a young age I was practising all kinds of shots, some of which I don't play now. They need to come back out.' In his last Test, against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in October, Smith came out to bat when England were reeling at 98 for five. His sparkling yet resolute 89 underlined his comfort in the heat and dust of Test cricket. He showed even more confidence by opting out of England's end-of-year tour of New Zealand so that he could be with his partner, Kate, as she gave birth to their son, Noah, in December. 'Family has always been my No 1 priority so that was a pretty clear and easy decision,' he says. 'I'm privileged to play cricket for England but it was nothing compared to the amazing experiences I had during the three weeks they were in New Zealand.' Even if the Ashes had taken place last year Smith stresses 'it would have been the same decision'. He and Kate have been together for three years but, as Smith explains with a grin, 'I wouldn't say she's a massive cricket fan. A couple of times I've texted her saying I'm out for 20 and she's said: 'Oh, you've done well!' I try and explain that I've not done well at all.' Kate might not understand all the cricketing intricacies he faces, especially as a keeper who still plays as an ordinary fielder in county games. This season Smith is in the groove with the bat, scoring 84 and 58 in his last two games for Surrey, but Foakes has kept wicket. Surely it's difficult to improve as a Test keeper under such circumstances? 'It takes a little more time to get up to speed. Last year it helped that I was keeping in some white-ball games. Even though people say it's not the same [as Test cricket] it gets you into a rhythm. This season is different but it gives me a great chance to focus on my batting.' Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion For Smith 'wicketkeeping has always given me opportunities. It's something I like doing, and having that responsibility, but it's even more enjoyable when you're batting.' His pleasure when reaching for one of his bats is obvious. In another sign of Smith's growing reputation, he has joined Joe Root and Mark Wood in recently becoming an enthusiastic ambassador for New Balance. This link with the company follows his immediate success in Test cricket, but Smith does not conform to the archetype of the loud and cocky keeper. 'It's not my personality to be like that,' he says, 'so I'm not going to try to change.' While acknowledging Foakes's hurt after losing his England place, Smith says there has 'not been any awkwardness at all between us. We all know how good a keeper and player he is and he's not had the England experiences that he's probably deserved. But this year he's played some fantastic knocks and he looks to be freed of that burden. He's a fantastic person, and fantastic trainer, who goes always about his business in a very professional manner. He's the best [keeper] in the world for a reason.' Smith namechecks the brilliant South African AB de Villiers as the wicketkeeper-batter he once looked up to most. It's also striking that Smith revered Kevin Pietersen when he was growing up. 'It was his natural flair and the way he played the game,' Smith says of Pietersen. 'It was so exciting to watch and playing international cricket myself now, and understanding how hard it is, makes me see how special it was for him to play that way and almost take the mickey out of people at times. That skill level is remarkable.' Despite his own audacity and belief, Smith is the opposite to Pietersen in some regards. He is a deep thinker and committed team player. But Pietersen, and England's 2005 Ashes-winning squad, fired Smith's imagination. He was too young to have understood that momentous summer at the time but watching the series boxset over the subsequent years fuelled him. Smith also loved the boxset of England's 3-1 Ashes win in Australia in 2010-11: 'I enjoyed putting both [boxsets] on and rewatching them, knowing every word of the commentary and knowing these are recent pillars in English cricket. They show what can be done and to do something similar, and win an away Ashes, would be every England cricketer's dream. You look at recent results and see how difficult it is out there – it's almost Test cricket on fast forward with the media and the Australian public. So it would be fantastic to be involved.' But first come Zimbabwe and India, the latter of which Smith describes as being 'the cricket nation. It would be really nice to have success against the top side.' The Ashes will still dominate England cricket this year. Mark Stoneman, his mentor and former Surrey teammate, has explained what it was like to play five Tests in Australia in 2017-18 when England were crushed 4-0. 'It was just relentless,' Smith says, 'and Australia were the best side in the world at the time. But he still enjoyed the experience – and to play in an Ashes would be something I'd never forget even if there were some difficult moments.' They still speak often, even though Stoneman now plays for Hampshire, and Smith says: 'I'll get out and he'll be sending me a clip [of the dismissal] and talking about technique or something. To have someone take that interest in your game is really helpful.' Stoneman is a down-to-earth Geordie and he has always liked Smith because, despite his shimmering talent, he lacks 'the Surrey strut'. Smith smiles shyly. 'It's always been my personality and belief that you don't get anywhere without hard work. You've got to work hard at it but enjoy doing it while you have the opportunity.' It also helps that Smith has the ability and the nerve to meet the demands of such a thrilling but challenging year for English cricket. Smith's self-belief will be exposed to a searing examination but he sounds determined to remain 'relaxed, without thinking too far ahead. I want to go out there and play what's in front of me without thinking too much. I play at my best when I'm very clear and free-flowing.'
News18
08-05-2025
- Sport
- News18
Dharamsala Weather Live Updates, PBKS Vs DC: Rain Stops, Inspection At 8 PM IST
Dharamsala Weather Live Update: Rain arrived moments before the toss for the IPL 2025 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals slated to be held at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala this evening. Just two points separate these two points. A win for PBKS tonight will make them the first team to qualify for the IPL playoffs. A defeat for DC will severely dent their top four hopes. Full Squads Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Suryansh Shedge, Harpreet Brar, Xavier Bartlett, Praveen Dubey, Musheer Khan, Vishnu Vinod, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash, Mitchell Owen Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari, Sediqullah Atal
The Hindu
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
IPL 2025: Rajasthan Royals replaces injured Nitish Rana with Lhuan-dre Pretorius
Rajasthan Royals (RR) has signed South Africa's Lhuan-dre Pretorius as an injury replacement for Niths Rana for the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The 31-year-old Rana a left-handed batter, played 11 matches for RR this season and scored 217 runs with the help of two half-centuries, sustained a calf injury. 🇿🇦 Fearless. Power-packed. Royal! You've seen him in Pink — and you'll see him soon in IPL 2025. 🔥 Lhuan dre Pretorius steps in for Nitish Rana, who's healing from a calf injury. Speedy recovery, Nitish bhai! 💗 — Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 8, 2025 Pretorius, a left-handed opening batter and wicketkeeper, has played 33 T20s and scored 911 runs with a highest score of 97. He joins RR for his base price of INR 30 lakh.
Times of Oman
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Bangladesh's veteran star Mushfiqur Rahim announces retirement from ODIs
New Delhi : Bangladesh's seasoned wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim announced his retirement from ODIs after their Champions Trophy campaign concluded on a bitter note. Mushfiqur took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce his retirement from the format. The 37-year-old revealed that he made his decision after going through a couple of "challenging weeks." "I am announcing my retirement from the ODI format as of today. Alhamdulillah for everything. While our achivements may have been limited on a global level, one thing is certain: whenever I stepped onto the field for my country, I gave more than 100% with dedication and honesty," Mushfiqur posted on his Instagram. "The last few weeks have been very challenging for me, and I have come to realize that this is my destiny. Allah says in the Quran: "Wa tu'izzu man tasha' wa tu'zhilu man tasha'" [And He honours whom He wills, and He disgraces whom He wills](3:26). May Almighty Allah forgive us and grant righteous Iman to all. Lastly, I would like to deeply thank my family, friends and my fans for whom I have played cricket for the last 19 years," he concluded. Mushfiqur is one of Bangladesh's longest-serving players and features among the most accomplished cricketers for the Tigers. Mushfiqur burst into the ODI fold in August 2006, during Bangladesh's fifth ODI against Zimbabwe at Harare. He didn't get the opportunity to bat or show his impressive skill set with the gloves, but it was his first step towards taking Bangladesh's ODI to new heights. Nineteen years later, Mushfiqur has finished his ODI career with a whopping 7,795 runs in 274 matches at an average of 36.42, boasting nine centuries and 49 fifties. Mushfiqur ends his rollercoaster ride in the format as Bangladesh's second-highest run-getter behind Tamim Iqbal's tally of 8,357 runs. He fulfilled his duties as a wicketkeeper with flying colours, reflected in his 243 catches and 56 stumpings. In his last dance for Bangladesh, the veteran star began his campaign with a golden duck, courtesy of Axar Patel. Bangladesh's second group-stage game was another forgettable outing for him. This time, the experienced Michael Bracewell got the better of him and punched his return ticket cheaply on 2(5). Incessant rain in Rawalpindi took his last chance to add another memory for Bangladesh in the format.
