The Old Trafford Test between England and Sri Lanka was all about Jamie Smith on day three (Friday, August 23) as the young wicketkeeper galloped to his maiden international hundred.
The hundred came at a crucial juncture for England and helped the wicketkeeper-batter from Surrey to rewrite the history books of English cricket.
Smith became the youngest England wicketkeeper to smash a Test century. At 24 years and 42 days, Smith shattered former wicketkeeper Les Ames' record of 1930 when the latter scored his maiden Test ton aged 24 years and 63 days.
However, unlike most players, Smith did not go overboard with his celebrations and kept them low-key.
"I probably didn't show it but inwardly I was obviously very happy with that milestone," Smith was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Interestingly, Smith expressed his gratitude towards Ian Bell who is currently working with the Sri Lankan team as their batting coach for the ongoing series against England.
"Belly (Ian) has been a great help for me both in the Lions and with Birmingham Phoenix for the last couple of years. The knowledge that he passed on and his willingness to throw balls at me before games when I had an eye on the Test series is something I'm really grateful for.
"It's great when people are willing to be in your corner, I guess, and help you out even though they're in the opposition side. So I was grateful for his help," Smith said.
Bell being in the rival camp for the series, saw the lighter side of the occasion and also touted Smith as the next big thing in English cricket.
"Yeah, it was annoying," Bell said with a smile. "On a serious note, someone like Jamie, I think you can see it. He's going to be a world-class player for England over a long period of time. He is class and it's up to us now to find ways of getting him out in this series. There's a small part that I suppose I played in his development but I've watched a guy who's worked extremely hard. He's taken to international cricket with ease."
"Even his celebration just shows the kind of person he is. He's calm and I'm sure he's going to be a massive part of this England team in all formats to come over a long time," Bell added.
