England wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith has expressed his desire to secure an IPL contract in the future while focusing on establishing himself as a finisher in the ongoing T20I series against India. The right-hander revealed that family commitments prevented him from entering the IPL 2025 auction.
Smith, who made his T20I debut in the second match of the series at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on January 25, contributed a quick 22 off 12 balls, helping England post a competitive 165 in 20 overs.
However, India chased down the target with four balls to spare, thanks to Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 72. The hosts currently lead the five-match series 2-0. Ahead of the third T20I in Rajkot, Smith shared his thoughts in an interview with Sky Sports:
“With a young family at home and the potential to be away a lot with England this year, there’s a lot of cricket, it was best for me to pull out this year. Family has always been my priority, you are a long time on the road and any time I can spend at home, is good.”
“This is a long tour, two or three months, so I want to be at home as much as I can. Hopefully, I can showcase what I am about as a cricketer for potential IPL moving forward. it’s definitely something I want to try.”
“I have a clear role in Tests” – Jamie Smith eyes spot in England’s limited-overs team
In the same interview, Smith expressed his ambition to become an all-format player for England. While he feels confident about his role in the Test side, he hopes to achieve similar clarity in limited-overs cricket.
“I want to play all formats for England. That’s the main goal. I’m seeing these games [as] an opportunity I get to experiment and showcase my skills, I want to do that. It would be nice to fix down a role so that everyone knows that you are going to be that number six batter in T20, it gives you a little bit more clarity to train and prepare with.”
“I’ve got a very clear role in the Test side, keeping wicket and batting seven. That makes it much easier to prepare for. I feel confident I can go out and perform in any role that is thrown at me.”
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