Jamie Smith says he did not struggle after becoming England's youngest ever wicketkeeper-batsman to score a century in Test cricket.
Smith scored 72 at the end of Day 2 and followed that up with a superb score in the morning session of Day 3 to help England build a 122-run lead over Sri Lanka. Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain and Ian Ward said he had “adapted to Test cricket like a duck to water”.
Smith's 111 was scored with eight boundaries and a six before the Nelson's Curse took hold and left Prabhas Jayasuriya (3-85) behind Dinesh Chandimal, but unlike his dismissal for 95 against West Indies at Edgbaston last month, he was well ahead of his milestone at Emirates Old Trafford.
Jamie Smith's 111 made him the youngest wicketkeeper-batsman ever to score a century in a Test match for England.
“The most important feeling is that I had fun. I really enjoyed playing for this team and being there,” Smith said.
“I never felt like I was lacking in ability, they are all great players and it doesn't feel like I'm fighting.
“I'm really happy to have achieved 100 points. It's something I've been hoping for and a great opportunity to achieve.
“I thought about running and firing in '98, but I don't plan on changing the way I play just because of a milestone.
“It was nice to come back with it, but it would have been frustrating if I had gone out there and changed the way I play.”
Smith became the youngest ever England wicketkeeper-batsman to reach a century with 111 runs aged 24 years and 40 days, 293 days ahead of current captain Ollie Pope.
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Jamie Smith was delighted to score his maiden Test century for England against Sri Lanka.
Smith, named ahead of Ben Fawkes and Jonny Bairstow, has impressed since his Test debut against West Indies with his batting and excellent fielding behind the stumps.
The Surrey wicketkeeper credits his success to the encouraging and caring dressing room culture created by captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendan McCullum.
“Coming to this team gave me a lot of confidence and the messages from the staff helped me play my true game and reach my full potential,” Smith added.
“It felt pretty good. It was special to cross the finish line because we had been knocked out of the West Indies, but the most important thing was to score a few runs and take the lead.
“It was tough because the outfield was so slow, there were fewer boundaries than I expected and the flat wicket meant shots were less valuable so I had to work harder than in other innings, but I really enjoyed it.”
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These are the best moments from day three of the first Test match between England and Sri Lanka.
Smith has taken four catches so far in the Sri Lankan series, his only criticism coming in the evening session on day three when his gloves were in front of the stumps, when the third umpire ruled a potential wicket-taking delivery as a no-ball.
The decision ultimately proved costly as a review of the umpire's call on the bowling of Shoaib Bashir (0-61) in the 36th over found it was adjudged to be lbw.
“I actually had no idea about it, I thought if you break the line it's a no-ball,” Smith admitted.
“(Life as a Test cricketer) is not easy at all. Everyone knows there are going to be ups and downs and I'm just riding that wave a little bit right now.
“It's a good thing to show others what you can do when you're at your best.
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Dimuth Karunaratne falls and Mark Wood hits the first ball.
“There will be times when you are not as good or competent as you should be, and you will be judged on that. So when you feel really good about yourself and how you are playing, it's important to capitalize on that as much as possible.
“The most important thing is for the team to win. That's the most important thing to me.
“I'm always looking for learning experiences. There's not a lot of time on the training day and there's a quick turnaround in playing in this series, so I'm learning on the job.
“You are having a great time without worrying about stress.”
Smith is destined to be a 'world class player'
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Watch all 10 wickets taken on day 3 of the first Test match between England and Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.
Sri Lanka batting coach Ian Bell, who coached Smith during his time at England Lions and Birmingham Phoenix, believes Smith has a bright future ahead of him.
“Yeah, it's annoying! No, seriously – he scored a fantastic hundred on the Sri Lanka A tour and I think he's going to be a world-class player for England in the long run,” Bell said.
“He's class and the players recognized that. Fair play to him today.
“This morning's game was the deciding factor.
“I'm grateful to Jamie and to the little bit I've contributed to his development. I've seen him work really hard. He's confident and has adapted easily to international cricket.
“You can tell what kind of person he is just by looking at his celebrations.
“He is calm and composed and I am sure he will be an important part of the England team in all forms going forward.”
Watch Day 4 action at Old Trafford live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10.15am on Saturday (first game at 11am).
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