The young wicketkeeper starred with 64 off 28 in the third ODI.
When Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) were fighting it out for the Indian Premier League (IPL) title on Tuesday night, there was a youngster putting on a show across the continent. England made light work of West Indies in the third ODI at the Oval to complete a clean sweep.
The home side was given a target of 246 in 40 overs in a rain-affected contest. Jamie Smith starred in the run-chase to get England to a flying start. He smashed 64 runs in just 28 deliveries, laced with 10 fours and three sixes. By the time he was done, England had raced to 93 in seven overs. From then on, it was an easy task as they finished the chase inside 30 overs. Ben Duckett hit 58 off 46 while Jos Buttler struck 41 not-out in 20 balls.
International wicketkeeper batters are generally in high demand in IPL due to the dual skill set they bring. We have seen Buttler, Nicholas Pooran, Heinrich Klaasen, Ryan Rickelton, Jonny Bairstow, Phil Salt and Josh Inglis playing key roles for their franchises in IPL 2025.
Going by that trend, we can expect Jamie Smith to be one of the players IPL teams could go after in the next auction. He’s only 24 years of age, and the upside is pretty high. In him, one of the IPL teams could have a bonafide star for the next few years.
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Jamie Smith is one of the highly rated talents in English cricket. He made his Test debut in July last year, and didn’t take long to cement his spot in the side as the first-choice wicket-keeper. In 10 Tests, he has scored 641 runs at an average of 42.73 and strike rate of 72. He has multiple crucial knocks in his short stint.
Smith is still finding his feet in ODI cricket, and moving him to the top of the order should help his progress. As for his T20 numbers, he averages 23.42 and strikes at 138, with seven half centuries. While these aren’t jaw-dropping numbers, he’s only going to get better with more experience in international cricket. Having a solid red-ball game also makes Smith not just a T20 hacker but a proper batter.
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