Smith rescues England with his heroics under fire in the third Test
The ability to perform under extreme pressure when the odds are stacked against you separates great sportsmen from the merely very good. That’s exactly what Jamie Smith did to rescueIt is way too early to determine whether Smith, aged 24 and playing in just his ninth Test, is on the path to greatness.
In a very similar situation in Multan, when Smith came in on the final day with the score 78 for five, he made six and England were rolled for 144 chasing 297 to win. Key among those assessments was putting away the sweep shot that had proved perilous to many of his team-mates on this uneven surface and focussing on attacking Pakistan’s spinners straight down the ground.
Smith might have scored a century against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last summer, but this was so much better given the conditions, match situation and high stakes of a series decider. Yet while technique and power are attributes that can serve you well at this level, the grey matter between Smith’s ears was the most impressive thing on show here. Even the brain fade for his dismissal so close to a break could be forgiven thanks to just how markedly he had changed this match.
On a red-hot day in Rawalpindi when Pakistan threatened to take a decisive hold on this series, that ice-cool temperament allowed Smith to shine.
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