England have promoted Jamie Smith to bat at number three in a significant and surprising change to their batting order for the Champions Trophy.
Smith has never batted higher than number five for England in any format of the game, and has played just played just seven one-day internationals, averaging 22.2 with a top score of 49. His elevation up the order means that Joe Root, Harry Brook and captain Jos Buttler all drop down one place in the order.
Thrusting Smith into such a prominent role is the latest indication of how highly-regarded he is in the England set-up. He averages 42.5 in nine Tests so far in his career, showing both the ability to control the innings and a power game when needed. England now hope that these qualities will translate to thriving in the crucial position of number three.
Smith suffered a calf injury during the recent tour of India, ruling him out of all three ODIs. Had he been fit, he might well have batted at three in the series.
As well as batting at three against Australia on Saturday, in England’s tournament opener, Smith will also keep wicket. Phil Salt, who kept during the ODI series in India, will revert to being a specialist batsman.
England also confirmed that Jamie Overton would miss out, with the selectors opting for a balance to the side that prioritises batting depth. Liam Livingstone will bat at number seven, and will be the fifth bowler, with Root’s off spin providing support. Quick bowlers Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood, and leg spinner Adil Rashid, will make up the rest of the attack against Australia.
Tinkering late has not usually worked for England but Smith move is different
For England the precedents to making dramatic changes to the batting line-up on the brink of major 50-over tournaments are not encouraging. Before the 2011 World Cup, England reinstated Matt Prior as wicketkeeper and promoted Kevin Pietersen to open for the first time in his career. Four years later, England once again abandoned their old template at a World Cup – moving James Taylor from three to six, recalling Gary Ballance to bat at three and dropping Ravi Bopara.
The effect was destabilising. “I can remember that net session, frantically having to explore different options earlier on in my net than I’d done previously,” Taylor later recalled. “I can understand why they made the change, but it probably summed up where we were.”
The elevation of Jamie Smith is not quite as radical a shift as those on the brink of the doomed 2011 and 2015 World Cup campaigns. Yet it marks a significant change in England’s thinking.
Smith has only played seven ODIs and is yet to make a half-century. All of his previous innings for England in the 50-over game have come at five or six; indeed, he has never batted higher than five in any format. His promotion also means that Joe Root, Harry Brook and Jos Buttler all shuffle down one place each in the order: a subtle shift, yes, but also a potentially consequential one. Root has only batted outside the top three twice in the last seven years in ODIs.
The late tinkering is a recognition of two truths. First, England’s recent ODI form has been abject: since the start of the 2023 World Cup, England have won seven matches and lost 16. Second, the schedule allows little scope for England to become a well-grooved side, as they were in the 2015-19 cycle; instead, experimentation must come just before – or even during – tournaments. Smith might well have batted at three in the ODIs in India, but was injured.
Yet there is a clear rationale to the move. In his embryonic international career, Smith has already demonstrated the adaptability and situational awareness that batting at number three in ODIs demands. He has the technique and range of shots both to withstand forensic new ball bowling and counter-attack.
During England’s disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign, at least one senior player privately believed that Root should bat at four, because of his prowess against spin and ability to control the middle of the innings. Similar logic led Australia to deploy Steve Smith at four, behind Mitchell Marsh, during the World Cup triumph, protecting their best technician from the new ball.
With Root at four, followed by Brook and Buttler, England’s four-six is now the most imperious part of their batting line-up. This knowledge should embolden England to attack in the Powerplay.
That late tinkering in 2015, ahead of the opening game against Australia, tilted England towards more defensive thinking. Eight years on, the hope is that England’s change will have the opposite effect and embolden their talent.
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