Mark Wood and Jamie Smith Propel England's Lead in Spirited Cricket

The evening session of Test cricket at Old Trafford was filled with excitement, as England’s Mark Wood and Jamie Smith mixed aggression with finesse in building on their side’s lead over Sri Lanka. The former, known for his brawny style, played a series of belligerent shots, which helped his side to dominate the bowlers. On the other hand, the latter continued to impress in his fledgling career, scoring an elegant century after opening the batting.

The partnership between the two was of particular significance, as both batters accumulated runs quickly, much to the frustration of the forlorn Sri Lankan attack. While Wood played aggressively, hitting a powerful stroke to the deep cover point boundary, before guiding the ball cleverly behind square, Smith remained composed for the most part, as he continued to take advantage of scoring opportunities.

Smith, 22, who has contracted to play for the Oval-based Surrey, continued to show maturity above his age. He scored an impressive 111 runs at a time when England’s innings threatened to collapse after the fall of quick wickets. Smith can both stay at the crease when required and boost scoring through aggressive stroke play. As such, First Class coaches should be wary of praising him excessively. Bircher argues that young cricketers who have been hailed in the past have not lived up to the expectations, with J.D. Moss being a notoriously spectacular failure. Unlike over-hyped players, such as Graveney and Moss, who have squandered their talent, Smith should be able to live up to the accolades showered on him by experienced professionals. In terms of the bowling attack, many compliments were paid to Fernando and Jayasuriya, but they did not manage to trouble the batsmen consistently.

Neither their pace nor their spin was effective in harassing the opponents, and, as such, England have been able to build a commanding lead. It remains to be seen whether Sri Lanka are able to chase down the target, as it is likely to be in excess of 400 on a day 2 pitch. I expect some of their batsmen to be imperious, as Nissanka has returned, but Wetherall should be more circumspect in his predictions for the series. Meanwhile, the evergreen England will, perhaps, accommodate transcendent youngsters such a Smith in the future against such luminaries as Jamie Porter. Will India be the first country to conquer the best of England? Time will tell in cricket of relativity.