Top 5 fastest centuries by England batsmen in Test cricket: Jamie Smith’s counter-attacking knock at Edgbaston against India in the second Test of the ongoing India vs England Test series epitomized the Bazball mantra.
En route to a sizzling hundred, Smith, playing in only his 12th Test match, went past Ben Stokes, his current Test captain, on the tally of the fastest Test centuries for England and now sits third on the list.
England were rocked early on day 3 of the India vs England Edgbaston Test as Mohammed Siraj removed Joe Root and Ben Stokes, England’s two most senior players, in successive deliveries in his first over of the day. That left the hosts 84/5 in reply to India’s first innings total of 587.
Smith walked in and looked unperturbed by the daunting task in front of him and counterattacked against the Indian bowlers, especially tearing into Prasidh Krishna, who had dismissed him in the previous Test at Leeds, including a 23-run over.
Smith even outshone Harry Brook, the prodigal batsman who is also known for his breathtaking stroke-making and rapid scoring rate.
What started as a session that looked set to be dominated by India was turned upside down into an English dominance as the duo rattled boundaries all around the park. England scored 172 runs in the first session on day 3, the third-most India have conceded in a session in Test cricket.
Jamie Smith, in fact, started his innings with a gorgeous drive on what was the hat-trick ball from Siraj. He didn’t take his foot off the scoring pedal and motored to a 43-ball fifty and then to an 80-ball century. Fittingly, he reached his century with a boundary.
Jamie Smith’s century off 80 balls against India at Edgbaston is the joint-third-fastest by an England batsman in Test cricket. The record for the fastest century by an England batsman in Test cricket belongs to Gilbert Jessop, who hit a 76-ball century against Australia in 1902 at The Oval.
Top 5 fastest centuries by England batsmen in Test cricket:
76 balls. Gilbert Jessop vs Australia, The Oval 1902
77 balls, Jonny Bairstow vs New Zealand, Trent Bridge 2022
80 balls, Harry Brook vs Pakistan, Rawalpindi 2022
80 balls, Jamie Smith vs India, Edgbaston 2025
85 balls, Ben Stokes vs New Zealand, Lord’s 2015
Meanwhile, talking about the India vs England 2nd Test, Harry Brook has also reached the three-figure mark. At the time of writing, England are 279/5, trailing by 308 runs.
Teams:
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Karun Nair, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
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