England’s wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith has said that he is open to moving up the order to No. 6 in Ben Stokes’ absence in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka. The talented batter is confident of depending on his County experience in case the challenge is thrown
at him.

However, England will have to tweak their playing XI for the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on August 21, with the captain Stokes being ruled out of the series due to a hamstring injury he picked up during The Hundred. Meanwhile, Smith made a stunning Test debut against West Indies in July in a home series as well.

Sharing his thoughts, he said (as quoted by ESPNcricinfo): “It won’t bother me at all. One of the things that’s been great in my career so far is I feel like I’ve batted in a variety of different positions and roles anyway, and I’ve gained some of these experiences. They might be at a lesser level in the County Championship, but I still feel like I’ve been able to adapt and get some experience under my belt – and the difference between No. 7 and No. 6 isn’t a massively great one anyway.”

The batter also contributed 207 runs in four innings during the Test series against West Indies. He scored 70 on debut at Lord’s and 95 in the third and final Test in Birmingham as  well. Apart from batting in the lower order, Smith was also England’s designated stumper during the three-match series against West Indies as well.

“The games didn’t go five days, but for me, it was just mentally quite draining. It probably took more out of me than I was expecting, with all the emotions that came with it, the expectation, and a bit of added pressure… It’s been different for me. Mentally and physically, it was quite a lot in three weeks, going from county cricket into that, and with the potential for more stuff to come,” he concluded.