Smith, Brook launch stirring England fightback but India still well on top

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Jamie Smith hit the highest score by an England Test wicketkeeper and threated to smoke the team’s fastest ton as he and Harry Brook led a stirring fightback against India – although the tourists remain in firm control at Edgbaston after a pulsating day three.

Smith (184no off 207) reached his hundred from 80 balls – four short of Gilbert Jessop’s record 76-delivery effort versus Australia at The Oval in 1902 – and went on to surpass the 173 amassed by former England gloveman Alec Stewart against New Zealand in 1997.

Smith and Brook (158 off 234) joined forces in the second over of the morning with England reeling at 84-5 – at which point they trailed by a whopping 503 runs – after Joe Root (22) and Ben Stokes (0) had fallen to successive deliveries from Mohammed Siraj (6-70).

But the wicketkeeper then lasered the hat-trick ball through mid-off for four as his first act of a riotous century – England’s joint third-fastest in this format – and rollicking sixth-wicket partnership of 303 from 368 balls with fellow centurion Brook, before the hosts lost 5-20 and were bowled out for 407 to trail by 180 on first innings.

India – who lost the first Test at Headingley despite being in control for long periods – extended their advantage to 244 by stumps, for the loss of only Yashasvi Jaiswal for a four-laden 28 from 22 balls, with KL Rahul (28no) – who matched Jaiswal’s six fours – and Karun Nair (7no) taking the visitors to 64-1 after 13 overs.

There was drama around Jaiswal’s lbw dismissal to Josh Tongue with Stokes feeling the batter took too long to call for DRS – although the review failed anyway with the ball set to nail leg stump.

Smith sizzles at Edgbaston after Siraj’s twin strike

Jessop’s record England hundred has long looked likely to be eclipsed in the Bazball era, with Jonny Bairstow cracking a 77-ball ton versus New Zealand during its opening summer in 2022.

Smith was the latest to challenge that now 123-year-old benchmark, with five boundaries in one 23-run Prasidh Krishna over and then six and four off back-to-back Ravindra Jadeja deliveries helping him canter to 84 from 61 balls.

The 24-year-old eventually slowed down as hopes of trumping Jessop dissipated – for now at least – with his 80-ball ton, achieved before lunch, matching Brook’s in Pakistan in December 2022.

It is rare for Brook – who in this innings became the quickest player in history to 2,500 runs, doing so from 2,382 deliveries, and now has nine tons in 27 matches – to play second fiddle but that was the case here, with his century notched from 137 balls.

Brook had led the counterattack, albeit skittishly, from 25-3 on Thursday – after the exits of Ben Duckett (0), Ollie Pope (0) and Zak Crawley (19) – and threw further punches the next morning in Siraj’s first over after having Root caught glancing down the leg-side and inflicting a golden duck on Stokes with a brute of a short ball.

Brook also impresses for England but India still in charge

Brook, looking more secure than the previous evening, bookended Siraj’s follow-up with fours, arrowing a pitched-up delivery through extra-cover before clipping a back-of-a length ball off his hip.

Smith then largely took over, latching onto anything full or short as he pulled, drove, and slapped his way to a second Test century – proving particularly harsh on Prasidh – since replacing Surrey team-mate Ben Foakes as England’s wicketkeeper-batter last summer.

Many fans were disappointed when Foakes, widely accepted as the world’s best gloveman, was axed but few are complaining now, with Smith’s ability to shift through the gears, and reach levels of torque Foakes could not, a vital part of the England arsenal.

Smith and Brook – who slashed Jadeja towards the slips on 63 before the delivery clocked India skipper Shubman Gill on the head – scored at a slower rate after lunch as the ball became soft and the tourists bowled outside off stump with spread fields.

Smith then managed to lash Akash Deep (4-88) for six and four in one over after tea amid the speedy end to the innings, which included local lad Chris Woakes (5) snicking behind on the drive.

Brook’s dismissal – bowled by a peach of a nip-backer from Akash – was the catalyst for the collapse, with Siraj going on to remove Brydon Carse, Tongue and Shoaib Bashir for no score as England registered six ducks in total on a remarkable scorecard.

Watch day four of the second Test between England and India live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am Saturday (11am first ball) or stream without a contract.

England vs India – results and schedule

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports

• First Test (Headingley) – England won by five wickets
• Second Test (Edgbaston): July 2-6
• Third Test (Lord’s): July 10-14
• Fourth Test (Emirates Old Trafford): July 23-27
• Fifth Test (The Kia Oval): July 31-August 4

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