Jamie Smith admits the winter did not pan out as planned, yet he reckons missing out on an IPL deal might turn into the perfect tune-up for England’s Test summer.
The keeper-batter endured a lean Ashes, managing 211 runs and a single half-century in England’s 4-1 defeat. A spilled chance at the Gabba – Travis Head the beneficiary – and an ill-judged hook to deep extra cover in Sydney capped a bruising tour. He put his name into December’s IPL auction but went unsold, then lost his place in England’s white-ball squads for Sri Lanka and the T20 World Cup.
Now, with no franchise commitments, Smith will start April in Surrey whites, hoping a solid block of Championship cricket fixes the glitches exposed in Australia.
“At the time, I would have definitely liked to have gone [to the IPL],” Smith said at Surrey’s pre-season media day on Tuesday. “It’s an ambition of mine to strengthen all sides of my game, and I see the IPL as something that can really enhance the white-ball side and does have benefits again to the red-ball [game].”
“But in hindsight, yeah, it’s fantastic to come here and have a block of red-ball [cricket] behind me. I felt that towards the back end of the summer and into the winter, technically, I felt a little bit out of kilter.”
“It’s been nice to come here [The Oval] and work on a couple of things and then I’ll be able to hopefully implement them, for six or seven [County Championship] games, and we’ll see where we get to if there’s any England stuff after that. But, yeah, it’s nice to have a little block to try and get things right.”
Competition for England’s gloves could intensify. Jordan Cox is on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s books, albeit likely as reserve. James Rew, fresh from an eye-catching Lions stint, will press his claim if he starts strongly for Somerset. Smith’s own Test numbers remain respectable – 41.48 after 17 matches, thanks largely to that counter-attacking 184* against India at Edgbaston last July – yet Australia exposed technical cracks he is keen to seal.
Foakes remains Surrey’s first-choice keeper, so Smith’s match practice with the gloves will be limited. Instead, he is leaning on extra drills – Alec Stewart is back on staff and expected to guide the process. Smith is unruffled by chatter over his catching. “Mistakes are going to happen.”
Physically and mentally, the 2025-26 cycle proved draining. “The India series was physically and mentally very tough. It was my first five-Test series. Also, we were out in the field for 22 out of 25 days or something stupid, and all the Tests lasted [five days]. By the end, it was just actual exhaustion: I was just knackered physically and mentally from all that had gone.”
Surrey see a fresher version now, and England head coach Brendon McCullum has already hinted that early-season Championship form will influence selection for June’s New Zealand series. A productive April and May would, therefore, push Smith back to the front of the queue.
For the moment, though, he is content with familiar surroundings and a chance to iron out those flaws – proof that an unwanted break can sometimes be exactly what a player needs, even if it was never part of the plan.
