Jamie Smith Sets New Benchmark For Test Wicketkeepers: The third Test between India and England at Lord’s is heating up, and after a competitive Day 1, both teams are battling hard on Day 2.
Joe Root Leads the Charge with 37th Test Century
England’s Joe Root reached a big milestone early in the day, bringing up his 37th Test century and going past Australia’s Steve Smith in the process. But it was Jasprit Bumrah who stole the morning session for India with a fiery spell of fast bowling
Jasprit Bumrah first removed England captain Ben Stokes, then got rid of centurion Joe Root, and followed it up by dismissing Chris Woakes just two balls later. That brought Jamie Smith to the crease. The young wicketkeeper had played a heroic knock in the previous Test at Edgbaston, scoring a brilliant 184*.
Jamie Smith Equals de Kock’s Record for Fastest 1000 Test Runs
Jamie Smith has continued to impress in this series. Despite batting lower down the order, the 24-year-old has shown remarkable consistency and composure. He made his Test debut in 2024 against the West Indies and has since become England’s first-choice wicketkeeper. During the Lord’s Test, he crossed the 1000-run mark in Test cricket, achieving it in just 21 innings
That puts him in elite company, as he now shares the record for the fastest wicketkeeper to 1000 Test runs in terms of innings with South Africa’s Quinton de Kock. He also went past England’s Jonny Bairstow, who previously held the national record by reaching the milestone in 22 innings
Fastest to 1000 Test Runs by Wicketkeepers (by innings)
- Quinton de Kock – 21
- Jamie Smith – 21
- Dinesh Chandimal – 22
- Jonny Bairstow – 22
- Kumar Sangakkara – 22
Smith is not just consistent, he’s explosive. Known for his aggressive red-ball batting, Jamie has been a key figure in England’s attacking Bazball approach. Playing in just his 13th Test and 21st innings, he added another crucial half-century under pressure at Lord’s
While his overall Test strike rate is close to 76, he’s been even more aggressive in this series against India, scoring at a strike rate of around 8733
He also broke another record by becoming the fastest wicketkeeper in terms of balls faced to reach 1000 Test runs. He went past Pakistan’s Sarfaraz Ahmed
Fewest Balls to 1000 Test Runs by Wicketkeepers
- Jamie Smith – 1303 balls
- Sarfaraz Ahmed – 1311 balls
- Adam Gilchrist – 1330 balls
- Niroshan Dickwella – 1367 balls
- Quinton de Kock – 1375 balls
After Bumrah’s brilliant spell knocked England off balance, Jamie Smith once again came to the rescue. He stitched a vital 50-plus stand with Brydon Carse for the eighth wicket. Smith reached his fifty in just 52 balls, while Carse held firm at the other end with an unbeaten 33 from 62 balls
By lunch on Day 2, England had moved to 353 for 7, thanks in large part to Jamie Smith’s calm and confident innings. It could have been a different story, though. India missed a golden chance early in his innings when KL Rahul dropped him on just 5 off Mohammed Siraj’s bowling
ALSO READ: “Prankball, Not Bazball”: R Ashwin Trolls England After Day 1 At Lord’s
