Harry Brook and 'phenomenal' Jamie Smith combine in incredible 300-run partnership to halt England collapse in second Test at Edgbaston
Updated 04/07/2025 at 20:41 GMT+1
Harry Brook and Jamie Smith combined superbly in a 303-run partnership to halt the steady flow of wickets in the second Test with India at Edgbaston. Wicketkeeper Smith came to the crease with England 84-5 and trailing by 493 runs after India posted a big first innings total of 587. Brook's 158 and Smith's 184 not out left England's chances of going 2-0 up hanging in the balance.
‘Can’t start summer any better’ – Duckett ‘delighted’ after Pope stars on strong day for England
Video credit: TNT Sports
A sublime 300-run partnership between Harry Brook and Jamie Smith saw England fight back to avoid the follow-on as the second Test between England and India continues to ebb and flow at Edgbaston.
England’s No. 5 and wicketkeeper were under pressure after Joe Root and captain Ben Stokes fell to consecutive Mohammed Siraj balls to leave them 84-5 and trailing by 493 runs.
Seemingly destined for the follow-on, the pair formed a sensational partnership of 303 in 368 balls, with Smith scoring a thrilling 80-ball century during the morning session as England looked to punish the tiring Indian bowlers.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Brook said: "I don’t think I have ever seen a scorecard like that before, to be honest, it was good to spend some time out there with Smudge [Jamie Smith]. He has a long career ahead with England and he is a phenomenal player.
"We didn’t speak too much to be honest, everyone knows that we are positive players and look to try and take the bowlers on, and that scenario ebbed and flowed throughout our innings.
"He obviously came out of the box quick, and I did the night before, and it was just about trying to figure out when the best time was for each individual to go."
Brendon McCullum’s side seemed to be in control as they successfully avoided following on, but India almost immediately prevented England from closing the gap any further when they got their hands on the second new ball.
Pace bowlers Akash Deep and Siraj combined brilliantly to take England’s final five wickets for just 20 runs, with Deep making the key breakthrough to remove Brook for 158 and then forcing Chris Woakes to edge to Karun Nair in the slips.
Siraj then removed Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Shoaib Bashir in an 11-ball period, with the trio joining captain Stokes, Duckett and Pope in failing to trouble the scores, leaving Smith on 184 not out.
Brook praised the Indian bowlers for getting the most out of the new ball and spoke of England’s plan to try to get stuck into the Indian top order.
"Up until I got out, I felt we were almost clawing it back, they obviously had an amazing first innings all down to Shubman Gill’s 269," he added.
"I felt like we were back in the game, I got out, and then like we saw last week with us bowling at them, we just had a collapse, that is what happens in cricket.
"We probably went searching for it a little bit but that is part of cricket, we were trying to hunt for wickets tonight, get them three or four down and it just didn’t happen.
"They bowled really well with the new ball, they got it moving off the pitch quite a lot at the back end when I was batting especially, we didn’t get as much out of the surface as them but I reckon they are quite used to these conditions with these skiddy low pitches, you see that a lot in India obviously, we just did not quite get it right tonight."
- How to watch West Indies v Australia Test series live on TNT Sports and discovery+
- All the latest cricket news and results
England, therefore, trailed by 180 runs and desperately needed early wickets to prevent the target from getting away from them.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul looked comfortable at the crease and reached their 50 partnership after just 45 balls, before Tongue managed to trap the dangerous Jaiswal LBW to remove him for 28.
India ended the day on 64-1, leading by 244 runs ahead of an intriguing fourth day in Birmingham.
With England likely facing yet another daunting chase, Brook confirmed his side would not be scared of a high target.
He said: "I think everybody knows we will be having a crack at anything."
Watch and stream top cricket action live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+
Related Topics
Thoughts?
Advertisement
Advertisement