Harry Brook and Jamie Smith delivered a commanding batting display on Saturday, lifting England from 84 for 5 to 355 for 5 at tea on the third day of the second Test against India at Edgbaston.
Smith, who came in after England lost Joe Root and Ben Stokes to successive deliveries from Mohammed Siraj, went on to reach 157 not out by the break. Brook joined him with an unbeaten 140, reaching his century shortly after lunch. The pair added 271 runs together, England’s third-highest sixth-wicket partnership or lower against India.
India had started the day in control. After posting a first-innings total of 587, they quickly reduced England to five down, still 503 runs behind. But the momentum shifted when Smith drove the hat-trick ball straight down the ground for four, refusing to retreat.
Smith Hits Hundred Before Lunch, Brook Follows in the Afternoon
Smith was on another level. He just came out swinging, blazing his way to a hundred off only 80 balls before lunch—one of the fastest centuries an English player has ever scored. He was just relentless, at one point tearing into Prasidh Krishna for 23 runs in a single over. With Smith going ballistic at the other end, Brook could just take his time and comfortably settle in.
Brook reached his hundred four overs into the afternoon session, threading a boundary between gully and second slip off Krishna. It was his first century against India and only his second at home, coming after narrowly missing out with 99 in the previous match at Headingley.
The pair slowed their scoring after lunch, adding just 106 in 28 overs. But they stayed in control, cautiously moving the partnership from 200 to 250 in 101 deliveries. By tea, their stand had reached 271.
India’s Frustration Grows Despite Close Calls
India had one real chance late in the session when Nitish Kumar Reddy found the edge of Smith’s bat while he was on 121. Rishabh Pant dove to his right but could only brush it with his fingertips.
The second new ball is now five overs away. It could be India’s last chance to break the stand and regain momentum.
Until then, England have gone from survival mode to dominance. The tone set by Smith’s confident counterattack and Brook’s calm accumulation has shifted the mood at Edgbaston. Whether it holds through the evening session remains to be seen.
