5 hours ago
3
Jamie Smith heads to Birmingham, the spiritual birthplace of Bazball, on Sunday believing the third phase of the English cricket phenomenon is ruthlessness.
Although they had previously chased down targets of 277, 299 and 296 for a 3-0 Test win over New Zealand, it was at Edgbaston three years ago this week that England truly embraced their no-limits attitude by chasing down a record 378, beating India by seven wickets in the process.
It felt otherworldly at the time as unbeaten hundreds from Root and Jonny Bairstow surged Ben Stokes’ team to their target, but doubts about the long-term viability of the attacking philosophy have long since been dispelled under an avalanche of wins, and the mood after being set 371 at Headingley last week by the same opponents was one of expectation not hope.
In allegiance with head coach Brendon McCullum, Stokes altered the mentality of the team during the first 12 months of his England captaincy, and placed a greater onus on the bowlers to hunt wickets as the style bedded in. Now, the evolution to Bazball 3.0 has involved a switch from all-out aggression to calculated restraint with minimal drop in run rate. England scored at 4.79 runs per over in levelling things at 2-2 against India three years ago and at 4.59 during the five-wicket win in Leeds.
Smith, 24, has been in the team less than a year but, after the second of his two sixes in an unbeaten 44 sealed the result in his 11th Test appearance, he addressed the progress that saw Ben Duckett hit a magnificent 149 and Zak Crawley and Root weigh in with half centuries.
‘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, speaking ahead of the second Rothesay Test, said.
Jamie Smith called upon England to show ruthlessness as they look to continue to progress
Smith stated that it is important that England has kept a core group over the last few years
Smith was pleased with how England didn't give India a chance in the first Test
‘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.
‘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.’
Smith displaced Bairstow and Ben Foakes in the team midway through 2024 for his ability to turn matches in the manner Adam Gilchrist used to and like the Australian before him, his reputation tends to contribute to fielders being dispatched to the deep when he arrives at the crease
‘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.
‘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.
England also have the luxury of adding Jofra Archer to the selection equation on Wednesday
Talk of India resting their attack spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been placed under scrutiny
‘To be able to have that backing and to have the trust that other people are doing the same thing, you don't feel you're alone when you're doing what you feel is right in that moment. And if you get caught on the boundary trying to hit the ball for six, you're not going to get a slap on the wrist.’
Victory in Leeds was England’s 21st in 34 games under Stokes, taking his win percentage to 61.76, above WG Grace and Douglas Jardine, and into pole position among those to captain England in at least eight Tests.
England also have the luxury of adding Jofra Archer to the selection equation on Wednesday after he was named in a 15-man squad, although it appears likelier that the 2019 World Cup-winning fast bowler plays the latter half of Sussex’s County Championship match against Warwickshire at Hove before returning for a first Test appearance in 53 months at Lord’s.
In contrast, the 1-0 deficit places talk of India resting their attack spearhead Jasprit Bumrah until then under huge scrutiny.
They have lost seven out of 11 in the 12 months since Gautam Gambhir replaced Raul Dravid as head coach, and sans Bumrah it is hard to envisage this focused England missing the chance to open up a 2-0 lead in the second city.
