Jamie Smith excited by red-ball return ahead of crucial year of Test cricket

Jamie Smith is excited to get his cricket whites back on for Surrey and build on a great first year as an England Test player.

Wicket-keeper Smith enjoyed a breakout 2024 for England, with one century and four fifties across his first nine Tests, before he missed the winter tour of New Zealand while on paternity leave following the birth of son Noah.

However, Smith, who featured for the 50-over side in the recent Champions Trophy, is set to take back the gloves ahead of a pivotal year of Test cricket such was his strong impression last summer.

The immediate focus for the 24-year-old though will be to settle back into life at number four for Surrey given he last played red-ball cricket for the county in July against Essex, who are the hosts for Friday’s Rothesay County Championship opener.

“It’s exciting to be playing in this team again. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it,” Smith said.

“My role here will be in the field, which I enjoy and being around in a different environment, it takes a lot of the load off and gives me a chance to refocus on my batting, which is still my primary skill.

“Yeah, it will give me a good training block leading into any potential things in the future.”

Smith’s modest nature belies the impact he made last summer with a sparkling 70 on debut against West Indies at Lord’s backed up with a match-changing 95 at Edgbaston.

A superb 111 in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford followed and, while an October tour of Pakistan brought challenges, Smith finished with a typically explosive 89.

He then switched focus to white-ball duties at the start of 2025 where he batted down the order during a T20 series in India before he struggled at number three in the Champions Trophy, but Smith has clarity before a year where five summer Tests against India is followed by an away Ashes in November.

Smith added: “I feel as though my roles are pretty well defined. Thrown in to bat at number three was more of an opportunity and one I didn’t take, but apart from that I feel my role has been pretty clear.

“If you’re playing Test cricket, you’ll be keeping wicket and batting at seven, managing the innings as and when you need to – whether it is batting with tail and scoring quicker or playing normally.

“At Surrey one thing I have felt that has really pushed my game on in the last couple of years has been a defining role of batting at four in the red-ball side.

“It’s been a great 12 months… it’s always been my dream growing up to play for England so to be given that opportunity was obviously fantastic.

“I felt over a two-year period I was building up quite nicely to play and I felt ready.

“I think my game was in a nice position where I felt confident to go out and perform and that took a little bit of pressure off.”