In a reassuring start to their fresh bid for an elusive ICC World Test Championship final, long-format entertainers England received a major boost to their methods under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum when they chased down a massive 371-run target against India at Headingley earlier this week.
India pacers, including spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, were rendered wicket-less on the final day’s play at Leeds, where England gunned down 350 of the remaining deficit runs under three sessions of play. The hosts were led by a supreme century from Ben Duckett (149) and fellow opener Zak Crawley’s 65 before the finishing touches were laid down by Joe Root’s unbeaten fifty and wicket-keeper Jamie Smith’s rollicking 55-ball 44, sealing the chase with a six over wide long-on.
The maturity of the chase was a standout feature, a sign of England’s ‘Bazball’ receiving a major upgrade ahead of an Edgbaston reunion this week, the venue where Stokes and Co. first showed signs of belligerence, incidentally against India three years ago. In the rescheduled decisive fifth Test of the series then, England walloped India’s seam cast of Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur enroute to their highest-ever Test chase (378).
Reflecting on the evolutionary changes to the batting philosophy of the side, wicket-keeper Smith a radically developing core has helped the team deliver results.
“By keeping a core group of people throughout that cycle, what’s happened is they’ve matured and learned and almost pushed their limits of what they can do,” Smith was quoted as saying by Daily Mail ahead of the second Test in Birmingham, starting Wednesday.
In the lead-up to the first Test, England had a preparatory round in May where the side racked up a whopping 498/3 on day 1 of their four-day Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
“We’ve seen some really special stuff over the course of the three years – 500 in a day and chasing down these totals has been incredibly pleasing and special for those guys, showing what can be done. This was a great example of where the team have got to that we didn’t give India a chance,” remarked Smith.
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“Maybe in the past we would have still played that same way, but might have had a collapse that gave them a chance or a little in. But it was so measured and controlled throughout that we never gave them a sniff. The really important thing is for the team to be quite ruthless: once you’re on top, try to put them to bed.”
The 24-year-old Smith has become a vital ingredient to the attacking combine of the squad after he pipped Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes to take over the wicket-keeping mantle of the side. Smith’s attacking efficacies have been appreciated in his fledgling career, with his 725 Test runs in 18 innings coming at a 73.08 strike rate, including a century and four fifties.
Smith revealed how the impact of boundary-hitting has lessened the pressure on England’s batters in efficiently rotating strike with oppositions employing more fielders in the deep.
“That’s the impact of what this side’s done, it’s allowed the easy singles to go unnoticed because it feels like we’re scoring so fast,” said Smith.
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“But because the men are already out on the boundary, people are able to get off strike and that keeps the rate flowing. It’s obviously nice to hit a few sixes rather than the ones but you’re just playing what’s in front of you and thankfully at the minute, it seems to be coming off.
“Something that definitely took my game to the next level was having that belief from other people and that transfers on to you, especially when you’re out there batting,” added Smith.
The Leeds win was England’s 21st triumph in 34 games under Stokes’ captaincy with his win 61.76 percentage ranking above all English captains who have led in at least eight matches.
