Edgbaston Test: Jamie Smith sets these records with fiery 184*
What's the story
England's Jamie Smith scripted history by scoring an unbeaten 184 against India in the ongoing second Test at Edgbaston. The innings not only helped England recover from a precarious position but also saw Smith break several long-standing records. The wicketkeeper-batter came to bat when England were struggling at 84/5 and formed a massive 303-run sixth-wicket partnership with Harry Brook (158).
Partnership highlights
Third-highest 6th-wicket stand for England against India (Test history)
The sixth-wicket partnership between Smith and Brook is the third-highest in Test history for England against India. It is also the biggest stand of the ongoing series. The duo helped England finish at 407/10, with both players scoring centuries. Notably, India had posted 587/10 while batting first. Smith was particularly aggressive, reaching his century off just 80 balls, making him joint-third on the list of fastest Test hundreds by an England player (by balls faced).
Record-breaking innings
Smith scripts history with unbeaten 184 runs
Smith also scripted the highest individual score by an England keeper, surpassing Alec Stewart's 173 against New Zealand in 1997. He also broke the record for the highest score by an England batter at No.7 in a Test match, previously held by KS Ranjitsinhji for 128 years. Smith ended England's innings unbeaten on 184 runs off 204 balls, making it his second Test hundred and sixth-highest unbeaten score by an English player batting at No.5 or lower in a Test.
DYK
Other notable records attained by Smith
As per Cricbuzz, Smith became the fourth-fastest to complete 150 in a Test against India. He is only behind Shahid Afridi (126 balls, Faisalabad, 2006), David Warner (128 balls, WACA, 2012) and Ben Duckett (140 balls, Rajkot, 2024). Besides, Smith is only the second wicket-keeper to register a 150-plus score in India-England Tests, joining Budhi Kunderan (192 in Chennai, 1964).
Career
A look at his Test stats
As mentioned, Smith raced to his second century in Test cricket. His only other Test ton came against Sri Lanka in Manchester last year. With his career-best knock, Smith propelled past 800 runs in the format. In 12 Tests, he has racked up 909 runs at an average of 56.81. Notably, one of his four half-centuries came on his Test debut, last year.
Brook's achievement
Brook's 9th Test century; partnership numbers for England
Brook, who partnered with Smith for the sixth-wicket stand, also achieved a milestone by scoring his ninth Test century. He took just 44 innings to reach this feat, making him the third-fastest Englishman to score nine Test centuries. The partnership between Smith and Brook is England's 11th on home soil to cross the 300-run mark and their second-highest for the sixth wicket.